Can HPV Vaccination Combat Genital Warts?

In mid-2007, Australia began a free quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for schoolgirls and young women (age, ≤26); by the end of 2007, about 70% of the target population had received all three doses. Now, investigators have assessed the initial effect of such immunization on the incidence of genital warts at a large sexual health clinic in Melbourne.

Overall, genital warts were diagnosed in 11% of 36,055 new patients who presented from 2004 through 2008. The proportion of young women (age, <28) with diagnoses of genital warts declined by 25% each quarter of 2008 (P<0.001). The proportion of heterosexual men diagnosed with genital warts decreased by 5% per quarter that year (P=0.031). In contrast, the proportions of o…