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Comment by londons_explore | Hacker News Reader

Since nearly everyone is infected with HPV, if you've had sex with a few people you're almost certainly already infected and therefore the vaccine will be of no benefit.

I guess if you were 50 and still a virgin, and planning to change that, it might be worth it.

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Yes, but being infected with one strain isn't the same as being infected with all of them in terms of the risks. You are unlikely to have all the strains known to cause problems already.

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Additionally (something I only became aware of from knowing a person dealing with it) - there's a modest body of clinical research suggesting that vaccinating for HPV in someone who already has it and is symptomatic (warts) can significantly lessen or eliminate their symptoms.

It was recommended for the person I know on that basis by their doctor as a thing to try, and they've noticed significant improvement. Anectdata, but mentioning anyway.

These are very small studies and I won't claim that this is definitive (nor that I've put that much effort into a review of all literature), but to provide some support for my claims that this is a thing being suggested/investigated in research:

- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6541142/

- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38068369/

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I believe that it's too early in the research for that to be factoring into the analysis going into current CDC recommendations, but it's an additional possible upside of vaccination (reducing symptoms/likelihood of symptoms, even if already infected) if the research continues to pan out.

> Since nearly everyone is infected with HPV

Not quite, though the messaging on this is muddy. The CDC simultaneously says:

> HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get the virus at some point in their lives. [1]

and

> During 2013–2014, any genital HPV prevalence among adults aged 18–59, was 42.5% in the total population, 45.2% among men and 39.9% among women; high-risk genital HPV prevalence was 22.7% in the total population, 25.1% among men and 20.4% among women. [2]

1: https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stats.htm

2: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db280.htm

How can you be sure there would be no benefit? When my mom was diagnosed with stage four HPV-positive cancer, they still gave her the vaccine on the off chance that it would induce an immune response.

Or you’ve been monogamous but are now getting divorced, or whatever. Not that uncommon.

It’s actually kind of frustrating how expensive that vaccine is (>$1000) as there’s no incentive to reduce cost.

And if you’re 45, then insurance won’t cover. Even if you test negative for hpv.

Ugh, I didn’t realize that. I got in just under the wire at 44—guess I’m glad my ex left when he did?

It's not approved above age 45 and thus insurance isn't going to pay. But that's simply a matter of not testing. It was intended to be used before exposure and the pool of people >45 who aren't exposed and might be is pretty low.

However, there is a case where it makes sense: Someone who went into a monogamous relationship early and it has now ended. I'm not a sex-only-in-marriage type but I ended up taking my first partner down the aisle--chances are I was never exposed. I'm still with her, but all relationships end eventually.

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