I loved this article, but one more point: boys can become carriers. It's not just about protecting the boys. Vaccinate the boys to protect the boys AND protect their partners.

Without bothering to find any actual data on this, I imagine most girls with HPV catch it from boys with HPV. And it's possible boys have more sexual partners than girls and maybe it's even possible that boys are less likely to insist on protection (not that that's foolproof).

I think Saletan nails it when he links the backwards way we're thinking about this issue to the messy way we think about sex and gender generally.

Shall I say that again? THE VACCINE DOESN'T WORK WELL ON BOYS. It's not designed for them. Since we're essentially vaccinating girls against cancer with this, they're the ones we need to protect the most.

To the OP, there just isnt enough data yet to support widespread vaccination of boys. All the major studies are on girls and that was the target of the vaccine development.

There are two potential arguments for vaccinating boys: increase herd immunity and decreaing rectal cancer in men who engage in anal intercourse. To the first point, we need to know if the vaccine works well in boys and then some large cost analaysis and epidemiologic studies would be needed to determine how much benefit is gained from immunizing this population. To the second, the studies just havent been done yet. Im sure they will be, because the companies with these vaccines will want to broaden the indications and doubling their clientel will be very tempting.

But currently there just isnt the data to support the high cost of this vaccine for boys. If they were rushing to give this to boys, there would actually be a much louder protest here and other places because they would be seeking profit before there was proof it worked.

lianetai:

I loved this article, but one more point: boys can become carriers. It's not just about protecting the boys. Vaccinate the boys to protect the boys AND protect their partners.

Vaccinating the boys won't protect their partners, because their partners will just get it from some other boy who wasn't vaccinated. (Coverage will never be 100%, and assuming girls will have sex with every boy they date ...)

messy, where do you think vaccines come from? do you think they magically spring from zeus' head? do you dig for them in the garden? no. we (as in human beings) CREATE them. the entire point is why haven't they created one for men. why did they only focus on creating one for women. with other diseases they try and find vaccines to treat all humanity.

i'll admit. that was the first thing i thought when i heard about gardasil and saw those annoying commercials... why, yet again, is this something that only women have to deal with? it is ridiculous the amount of money that women have to spend on health care vs. men and much of it is because of one sided scientific research.

...that cervical cancer is an ugly, painful way to die. I've seen it. Even now it's difficult to treat and has a ridiculously high fatality rate. Anyone who is at all familiar with this cancer would tell you to GET THE VACCINATION. This isn't about fair. This is about saving lives. Suck it up, because that's just the way it is right now. No one says it won't change in the future, just that RIGHT NOW vaccinating girls makes more sense.

I have to echo MessyONE here. This is a female cancer. Men didnt create the cancer. Its not a sexist thing. Why cant we just be grateful for the 1st vaccine in dsigned to decrease cancer?

Im a gynecologist. I have had patients die brutal deaths from cervical cancer. We should be thankful that this vaccine will help lessen that risk for women.

deduction:

messy, where do you think vaccines come from? do you think they magically spring from zeus' head? do you dig for them in the garden? no. we (as in human beings) CREATE them. the entire point is why haven't they created one for men. why did they only focus on creating one for women. with other diseases they try and find vaccines to treat all humanity.

i'll admit. that was the first thing i thought when i heard about gardasil and saw those annoying commercials... why, yet again, is this something that only women have to deal with? it is ridiculous the amount of money that women have to spend on health care vs. men and much of it is because of one sided scientific research.

That's just "life". Women's role in child bearing gives them health problems that men don't have. They therefore have medicine tailored to treat them that men don't have because men DON'T NEED it.

Any effective vaccinations will reduce the transmission rate simply because there are fewer infected partners.