HPV vaccination - a paradigm shift in public health

In 2006, the world's first quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Gardasil) was made available to the Australian public. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine protects against cervical cancer, cervical abnormalities, and genital warts related to HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. General practitioners play a vital role in preventive medicine and as such should have a good understanding of the vaccine and its role in the primary prevention of cervical cancer and precancers.

This article provides an overview of the HPV vaccine including efficacy and safety as it relates to its approved use in Australia.

The vaccine (Gardasil) is quadrivalent, providing protection against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18. These HPV types represent a significant burden on public health as they are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers, a substantial proportion of cervical abnormalities, and 90% of genital warts. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine (Gardasil) is indicated for females aged 9-26 years and males aged 9-15 years and should ideally be administered before the onset of sexual activity, however sexually active patients will also benefit.