Review of human papillomavirus (HPV) burden and HPV vaccination for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and transgender women in the United States

ABSTRACT

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women, particularly those who are living with HIV, are disproportionately affected by human papillomavirus (HPV). For this narrative review of HPV health outcomes and vaccination for gay, bisexual, and other MSM and transgender women in the United States, we highlighted 71 publications regarding 1) burden of HPV infections and related diseases; 2) HPV vaccine efficacy; 3) HPV vaccination recommendations; 4) HPV vaccination coverage; 5) real-world vaccine effectiveness and health impacts; and 6) HPV vaccination acceptability. Vaccination is effective at reducing HPV infections among MSM; in the United States, routine HPV vaccination is recommended for all adolescents at age 11–12 years and for all persons through age 26 years. Efforts are ongoing to increase vaccination coverage and monitor health impacts of vaccination. Increasing vaccination coverage before sexual exposure to HPV is expected to reduce the burden of HPV-related disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Papillomavirus infections
• papillomavirus vaccines
• vaccination coverage
• sexual and gender minorities

Note

[a] In shared clinical decision-making, the decision about whether or not to vaccinate may be informed by the best available evidence on who may benefit from vaccination; the individual’s characteristics, values, and preferences; the health-care provider’s clinical discretion; and the characteristics of the vaccine being considered. HPV vaccination is not recommended for everyone aged 27–45 years.

Acknowledgments

Katherine L. Tucker, Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library.

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Disclosure statement

TJW has received grant funding paid to Weill-Cornell Medicine from Merck and GlaxoSmithKine/Viiv Healthcare, and has received honoraria from Merck. No potential conflictof interest was reported by the other authors.

Additional information

Funding

None.