HPV vaccines effective and safe

In this review we summarize the current knowledge about the HPV vaccines developed in the beginning of the 21st century. The vaccines are very effective and safe, with no serious side effects. In Sweden we have a school-based prophylactic vaccination programme for both girls and boys. To this age group, we offer two doses of the nonavalent vaccine. The main purpose of the vaccination is to decrease the rate of genital cancer and its precursor lesions. This has mainly been studied for the cervix, which is the locus for the most important HPV-related cancer. Among other HPV 16-related malignancies that can be prevented by the vaccine is anal cancer. Genital warts are a challenging benign condition difficult to treat, often associated with psychosexual consequences. In Sweden we already have seen a decrease of HPV infection, genital warts, precancerous cervical lesions and cervical cancer.