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The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is FDA-approved to prevent cervical cancer, genital warts, and precancerous lesions associated with HPV. But does the vaccine help to eliminate HPV in women who are already infected? In a community-based study, investigators in Costa Rica randomized 2189 HPV DNA-positive women (age range, 18–25) to receive either three doses of a bivalent HPV vaccine (against the most oncogenic subtypes, 16 and 18) or a control hepatitis A vaccine at 0, 1, and 6 months. About 19% of the women were positive for HPV 16, and 7% were positive for HPV 18.
Participants were assessed with HPV DNA testing at enrollment and at 6 and 12 months. Clearance rates for HPV 16 and 18 were similar in the two groups; for example, at 6 mo…