One in three men infected with HPV, global study finds

National Immunisation Office director Lucy Jessop: 'The more young people vaccinated, both boys and girls, the better the spread of the infection can be controlled.' Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Almost one in three men over the age of 15 is infected with at least one genital human papillomavirus (HPV) and one in five is infected with one or more high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) types, new research shows.

Some types of HPV can lead to cancer in men, including penile, anal, oral, and throat cancers, while others lead to anogenital warts.

This virus, which is sexually transmissible, is the leading cause of cervical cancer among women.

The new findings show that men frequently harbour genital HPV infections, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

Data gathered from 35 countries found the globally pooled prevalence was 31% for any type of HPV and 21% for HR-HPV types. 

The team found HPV-16 is “the most prevalent HPV genotype”. This is a high-risk type and one of the types which can cause changes in the cells of a woman’s cervix, which can lead to cervical cancer.

The next most prevalent is HPV-6, which is a low-risk type and can cause anogenital warts in men and women.

The team, including Laia Bruni, based at the L’Hospitalet de Llobregat in Barcelona, found HPV prevalence is high among young adults, peaking between the ages of 25 and 29.

“Almost one in three men worldwide are infected with at least one genital HPV type and around one in five men are infected with one or more HR-HPV types,” they found.

Our findings show that HPV prevalence is high in men over the age of 15 years and support that sexually active men, regardless of age, are an important reservoir of HPV genital infection.” 

The data was gathered from 5,685 publications using database searches of which 65 studies, comprising 44,769 men, were included.

The World Health Organization said the results “emphasize the importance of incorporating men in efforts to control HPV infection and to reduce the incidence of HPV related disease in both men and women”. 

HSE data shows 406 cancers on average are linked to HPV infections among men and women in Ireland every year. The HPV vaccine has been given to boys in secondary schools since September 2019 and to girls since 2010.

"The more young people vaccinated, both boys and girls, the better the spread of the infection can be controlled," said National Immunisation Office director Lucy Jessop.

 “This year, the Laura Brennan HPV Vaccination Catch-up Programme is offering another chance for eligible males and females to receive the HPV vaccine for free through HSE vaccination clinics if they have not received it before.”

CervicalCheck's Sarah Fitzgibbon said: "The important thing to remember here is that HPV is an extremely common virus. It’s spread through sexual contact, any kind of sexual contact with any person."