UW-Madison health officials estimate approximately 3,000 women have turned to University Health Services for the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine since the drug received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2006. This demand makes the HPV vaccine the second most requested vaccine on campus.
In celebration of the approaching two-year anniversary of the HPV vaccine hitting the U.S. market, The Daily Cardinal sat down with Sarah Van Orman, director of clinical services at University Health Services, and Craig Roberts, a UHS epidemiologist, to review the popular vaccine.
The Daily Cardinal: What is HPV?
Roberts: HPV is a very common viral infection and includes a very large group of family viruses. There are over 100 different types of HPV and about 40 to 50 percent of HPV viruses cause genital infection. We are most concerned with the sexually transmitted HPV infection.
DC: How common is HPV?
Roberts: Statistically, more than 80 percent of people will get an HPV infection [during their lifetime].
Van Orman: The good news is that most HPV does absolutely nothing. There are a certain number of strains that can, in some people, cause more serious problems like genital warts [and] precancerous and cancerous changes. However, if you contract one of these strains, there is no guarantee that your cells will develop into cancer.
DC: How does HPV cause cervical cancer?
Van Orman: When somebody has an HPV infection, the virus causes precancerous changes '¦ In 10 percent of people [with precancerous cells], if we let those cells sit and stew, they will over time slowly turn into cancer. By doing Pap smears, we can either watch or remove [the cells in question] and stop the cancer.
DC: What does the vaccine do?
Roberts: The HPV vaccine prevents two conditions: genital warts and cervical cancer. Out of 40 genital HPV strains, four HPV strains are in the vaccine. HPV strains 6 and 11 are the most common viruses that cause about 90 percent of genital warts. HPV strains 16 and 18 are the most common viruses that cause 70 percent of cervical cancer or cervical dysplasia (abnormal cervical cells).
DC: What will happen to a person if they get an HPV strain that's not one of the four strains in the vaccine?
Roberts: The vaccine is very type-specific and [studies so far show it] doesn't offer any cross-protection against other HPV strains. If you were [exposed to] other strains not covered in the vaccine, you could contract genital warts or cervical dysplasia. However, condoms do reduce the risks of HPV by 70 percent.
DC: How popular is the vaccine among students?
Roberts: It's the second most common vaccine we give here at UHS. Since the clinical trials have studied only the age group 12-26, the FDA approved the vaccine for only females between ages 12 and 26. There are additional studies being done in women over the age of 26 and in men, but it will be another year or two before the results are complete and approved by the FDA.
DC: How prevalent are HPV cases in comparison with other student health concerns?
Roberts: HPV and genital warts are the most common STDs on campus. Out of 70,000 visits to UHS every year, 500 visits are HPV and genital warts cases.
DC: What do you think about young girls getting the vaccine?
Van Orman: I believe the vaccine is a very good thing. However, it doesn't replace pap smears. If we give someone the vaccine before they get the virus, [she is] not going to contract the virus. We had hoped that if you already had the virus and received the vaccine, then the vaccine would help the immune system. But, unfortunately, this is not true. In clinical trials, scientists found that if a person had already acquired the strain before being vaccinated, the vaccine didn't change how the body reacted to the strain.
Roberts: I think [the HPV vaccine] is a good idea. It makes the most sense for people to get the vaccine before becoming sexually active '¦ Most people get HPV infections in their early 20s, so you certainly want to give the vaccine before then. The best time to give a vaccine to anyone is before they have any opportunity for exposure.
