The Conversation, March 29, 2017 6.04am AEDT
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced in Australia in 2007 and New Zealand in 2008 to prevent cervical cancer. It was free for women up to age 26 in Australia and to all women under 20 in New Zealand. This is because 99.7% of cervical cancers are associated with the sexually transmissible infection.
There is mounting evidence the HPV vaccination program is preventing cervical disease. But the human papillomavirus is also responsible for causing genital warts. Despite a range of questions about the vaccine’s efficacy in this area, a recent New Zealand study has shown a large reduction in genital warts.