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Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) types are categorized as low risk (e.g., types 6 and 11) or high risk (e.g., types 16 and 18) for causing cervical, anal, and other genital cancers. A new highly publicized quadrivalent vaccine, licensed in June 2006, is nearly 100% effective for preventing infection and related diseases caused by these HPV types. To determine the prevalence of HPV in the U.S. before availability of the vaccine, researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004 for 1921 female participants aged 14 to 59 years. They obtained data on demographics, sexual behavior, and HPV analysis (by polymerase chain reaction) of self-collected vaginal swab specimens.
HPV prevalence was 26.8% overa…