On call: HPV vaccine for boys?
Q. My 14-year-old granddaughter has just completed her third injection of the Gardasil vaccine. I know it is designed to protect her from cervical cancer caused by a virus. But men can get the virus, too. Should my grandson also get the vaccine?
A. The virus in question is called human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are over 100 strains of HPV. About 40 of these strains can be transmitted by sexual contact. So-called low-risk strains cause genital warts (condylomas), but high-risk strains can cause cancer.
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