Dr Helen Petousis-Harris A new study into whether New Zealand men should also be given the HPV vaccine will take a particular look at gay and bisexual men. Dr Helen Petousis-Harris from the University of Auckland’s Immunisation Advisory Centre, has received a Feasibility Study grant from the Health Research Council to explore the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in New Zealand men for the first time. As well as causing cervical cancer in women, HPV is associated with other cancers including cancers of the mouth, throat, penis and anus in men, with a particularly high incidence in men who have sex with men. Participants for the study will be recruited from primary health care and outpatient settings in Auckland, with a focus on three groups - HIV positive gay men, other gay men, and straight men Dr Petousis-Harris says the incidence of HPV-related cancers among men is increasing overseas and while the pattern in New Zealand may be similar to Australia, this is not known. Of particular concern is that the incidence of anal cancer in gay and bisexual men is up to twenty-fold higher than in the general population. "Many issues relating to HPV and vaccination in males are poorly understood in the New Zealand context. There are no data on HPV prevalence among males, and little understanding of HPV awareness and vaccine acceptability among men for a vaccine promoted to date as an intervention to prevent cervical cancer," Dr Petousis-Harris says. The study's estimates of HPV prevalence and likely response rates to vaccination are intended to inform the design of a larger study.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 12th May 2014 - 1:05pm