Content about HPV vaccine

ATLANTA — An advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all boys ages 11 and 12 years old get vaccinated against human papillomavirus, the CDC said Tuesday.

The agency said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted for recommending routine vaccination of boys with three doses of HPV4 to protect against the virus. The vaccination is able to prevent such HPV-related conditions as cancer and prevent the spread of the virus to sexual partners. The recommendation is still subject to the CDC's approval, the agency said.

LONDON — GlaxoSmithKline is making a donation that it said would give more than 10,000 girls and women access to human papillomavirus vaccination.

GSK announced that it would donate $1 million worth of Cervarix (human papillomavirus bivalent [types 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant) to the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon Partnership over the next five years, as well as $50,000 to support the program operations. The partnership is an initiative led by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, UNAIDS, the President's Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief and the George W. Bush Institute.

ATLANTA — Increases in vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus are trailing increases in rates for two other vaccines recommended for teens and preteens, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.

Coverage rates for the other two vaccines — Tdap, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis; and MenACWY, which protects against meningococcal meningitis — are continuing to increase, but vaccination rates for HPV vaccine remain low, the study found.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck on Wednesday announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved Gardasil [human papillomavirus quadrivalent (types 6, 11, 16 and 18) vaccine, recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer in males and females 9 to 26 years of age.

According to the company, Gardasil is the first HPV vaccine on the market available for use in both men and women, and the only one indicated  to help prevent cervical, vaginal, vulvar and anal cancers and pre-cancers, as well as genital warts, caused by certain types of HPV.