Which age group is better to play? Girls between the ages of 9 and 14. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends vaccination for women between the ages of 9 and 26. It is also available beyond the age of 26, but is not as effective. However, most of the more than 100 countries where the HPV vaccine is available have similar recommendations for implementing HPV vaccine immunization programs: primarily for girls aged 9 to 14 years. This is based on two main considerations: 1. HPV infection is predominantly sexually transmitted, and the best population to vaccinate is young girls who have not yet had sex, in terms of vaccine prevention effectiveness and health economics. 2. The efficacy of protective antibodies produced by HPV vaccination is twice as high in girls under 14 years of age as in girls over 14 years of age. The results of several clinical trials have shown that HPV vaccine can significantly reduce the occurrence of cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer caused by HPV-16 and HPV-18 types, with an efficiency rate of more than 98%. However, both Gardasil and Cervarix are prophylactic HPV vaccines that only prevent specific subtypes of HPV infection, but do not remove the infected HPV virus. A therapeutic vaccine to remove the infected HPV virus is still in experimental studies. Can I still get vaccinated if I am over 26 years old? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend HPV vaccination for people over the age of 26. The main reason for this is not that there is no role for HPV vaccination in people over 26 years of age, but rather because of the lack of research at this stage. Past research has focused on adolescents, and studies have found that the HPV vaccine is protective in these populations. There is a lack of sufficiently convincing studies for adults over the age of 26. The Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society believes that if vaccination can still be administered over the age of 26, even if HPV infection is already present, it is rare that all subtypes corresponding to the vaccine will be infected. In general, whether or not to vaccinate over the age of 26 depends on one’s sexual life, but if one is not yet sexually active, one can be vaccinated; for those who are married or have a regular sexual partner, vaccination is not very meaningful. Is the cervical cancer vaccine really “once and for all”? Although 70% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV-16 or HPV-18, about 1/3 of cervical cancer patients are not protected by HPV vaccination. There are significant geographical differences in the distribution of HPV subtypes, with HPV-52 and HPV-58 infections being more common in Asian women, and the most common HPV subtypes among women with cervical cancer in Shanghai are 16, 58, 33, 52, 31, and 18. Therefore, even if all women are vaccinated against HPV, and even if the HPV vaccine provides 100% protection against the two high-risk HPV subtypes 16 and 18, a significant proportion of women will still be protected by the HPV vaccine. Even if all women are vaccinated, even if the HPV vaccine provides 100% protection against the two high-risk HPV subtypes 16 and 18, a significant proportion of women may still develop cervical cancer due to persistent infection with high-risk HPV types other than subtypes 16 and 18. Moreover, it is not yet possible to vaccinate all women against HPV. First, HPV vaccines are expensive. The quadrivalent vaccine Gardasil, for example, sold for about $300 to $500 when it was first introduced and now costs about RMB 2,000 or more in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The high cost puts a burden on families and the country, making many women from low- and middle-income families sigh in disbelief. The real population with high incidence of cervical cancer is the low-income group. Secondly, low awareness leads to low willingness to get vaccinated. For HPV vaccine, 9.8% of women in Hong Kong, China know about it and 50% have heard of it, while only 15% of women in mainland China have heard of it. Is the HPV vaccine safe? Most people experience mild side effects, mainly localized skin rashes, swelling, pain, swollen lymph nodes, or allergic reactions. The observation period after HPV vaccination is currently less than 10 years, and further follow-up is needed to confirm whether the vaccine provides durable protection and long-term safety. Although the HPV vaccine still has various unsatisfactory defects, it is the first attempt to prevent malignant tumors proactively. With the continuous improvement of biotechnology and effective control of vaccine cost, widespread and effective HPV vaccine covering all high-risk types worldwide will definitely have a positive impact on the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. Should I have a gynecological examination before vaccination? Experts recommend that a cervical cytology test and HPV virus NA test should be done first. If lesions are found or both viruses are found, then it is recommended not to go for the vaccine for the time being, which will have a great impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine. Can men get HPV vaccine too? In fact, not only women, but also men should get the vaccine. The vaccine can protect men from acromegaly.