Large crowds in HPV vaccination: This is how men protect themselves!

Large crowds in HPV vaccination: This is how men protect themselves!

On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, an important vaccination day took place at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Puch-Urstein, on which more than 100 young people aged 20 years used the free opportunity to vaccinate. With a balanced gender ratio of around 50 percent men and women, the action shows that awareness of the risks of human papilloma viruses (HPV) has increased. A vaccinated participant emphasized: "It is simply useful because it is primarily about the transmission of the virus and other diseases can also be transmitted." This is particularly relevant, because almost 8,000 people develop HPV-associated cancers such as cervical cancer annually.

The HPV vaccination protects against various types of cancer, not only in women, but also in men, as the state medical director Petra Gruber-Juhasz explained. In recent years, the number of vaccinations has increased noticeably; This is mainly due to an initiative that started in July 2024 to increase the vaccination rate among young adults. "We had a few vaccinations in this age group in the first half of the year in the first half of the year. And then it really rose to thousands of vaccinations," she said. It is important that vaccination is free for everyone under the age of 21. For adults, however, the assumption of costs could be a hurdle again in the future, since the price for immunization is around 650 euros, as Health Councilor Daniela Gutschi noted.

Additional importance of HPV vaccination

The topicality of the HPV protection vaccination can not only be read from the numbers. Kerstin Wiese, who had preliminary stages to cervical cancer as a result of an HPV infection, also decided to vaccination. This illustrates that numerous adults can also benefit from immunization. Studies show that the risk of developing cervical cancer falls 90 percent in fully vaccinated men and women. However, despite the safety evidence of the vaccines, the vaccination rate in Germany remains behind the expectations. Currently, only 55 percent of girls and 34 percent of boys aged 15 are vaccinated while the vaccination rates are stagnating.

The HPV vaccination is the only reliable protection against these widespread viruses, which are mainly transmitted by sexual contact. The immunologist Michael Eichbaum recommends that vaccination to be carried out before the first sexual contact, as this optimizes the immune response. Adults who may already have come into contact with an HPV type can benefit from a vaccination because they protect against other types. The need for action is therefore clear, and the ongoing information campaign for the vaccination campaign could be decisive for significantly reducing the rate of HPV infections and diseases. As ZDF , the informative exchange about the need for this vaccination remains essential.