Study suggests HPV vaccine doesn’t lead to promiscuous girls

TORONTO – A recent study suggests giving young girls the HPV vaccine will not lead to sexually promiscuous behaviour.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Monday looked at 260,493 girls – roughly half of whom (128,712) were eligible for Ontario’s Grade 8 HPV vaccine between 2007 and 2009. The study followed the girls until Grade 12 and found the girls who received the vaccination were no more likely to be sexually active than those who did not.

“We present strong evidence that HPV vaccination does not have any significant effect on clinical indicators of sexual behaviour among adolescent girls,” according to the journal’s abstract for the study. “These results suggest that concerns over increased promiscuity following HPV vaccination are unwarranted and should not deter from vaccinating at a young age.”

The human papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted infection, but it’s not the conventional type of STI that people think of because it doesn’t usually present immediate symptoms.

The virus can get into cervical cells and transform those cells such that they eventually become cancerous.  Nearly all cases of cervical cancer in Canada are caused by this virus.

Approximately 1,500 women in Canada are diagnosed each year and nearly 400 die from the cancer.

The vaccine targets the four most problematic strains of HPV and is effective. A 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded at least 97 per cent of women who received the vaccine were protected from cervical cancer.

Based on this, we’ve had a cervical cancer vaccine program in Ontario since 2007, where all Grade 8 girls receive the vaccine for free if parents consent.

Only 70 per cent of eligible girls  have received the HPV vaccine in Ontario. One of the reasons the rate is so low is that some religious school boards and individual parents have objected on the grounds that the vaccine encourages girls to be sexual active or promiscuous. But this study disproves that.

Five things to know about HPV

HPV can cause other cancers and conditions

HPV also causes almost half of vulva cancers, 70 per cent of vaginal cancers, 90 per cent of anal cancers, 50 per cent of penile cancers and 90 per cent of genital warts.

The HPV Vaccine is Safe

The only significant side effect in the original trials was mild pain and redness at the injection site.

Since release of the vaccine over 60 million doses have been given in the United States, and other side effects such as allergic reactions, skin infections, and fainting have been detected but remain extremely rare.

If I get the HPV vaccine, should I still get pap smears?

Yes. Pap smears are how we detect early stage cervical cancers, and this has saved many lives. The vaccine is not effective against all HPV strains, so women are still advised to get regular pap smears.

Why not vaccinate males?

HPV does cause cancers that males can be affected by too, including anal, penile, and head and neck cancers.

Not only that, vaccinating males will reduce transmission to women.

So from an ethical and equity point of view, a gender-neutral program makes sense, but it may not be cost-effective.  Some provinces have adopted it, and Ontario is considering it.

What about vaccinating at later ages?

In Ontario, catch-up vaccination is available to girls in grades 9 to 12, but studies suggest the vaccine protection is only 44 per cent once you include women who are sexually active.

This is why the vaccine is given at such a young age. The idea is not that we motivate girls to be sexually active at that age, but instead we are trying to give it at an age that has a safety margin before they become sexually active.