As we all know, cervical cancer is only one of the cancers that HPV16 is capable of causing. Herd immunity will only start to take place in cervical cancer when more than 75% of a population have been protected. But remember even if the conversation is only about cervical, men are vectors of the virus to women. We give it to them and are part of the problem, so gender based vaccination even in cervical is a dumb idea; just because boys don't have a cervix they add to the the rate at which infection occurs.

In our own disease men are getting HPV+ oral cancer at a 4 to 1 rate over women, so men also need to get vaccinated for their own protection. but the whole issue of herd immunity is based on both genders not one.

Australia looks like it will be the first country in the world to reach HPV16-18 herd immunity because of their progressive ideas about vaccinating all school children at the appropriate age. Canada and the UK are not far behind and even Mexico will close in on this long before the US. We have talked here often about the obstacles to getting this done in the US, but we are at a pathetic 34% of girls and 2% of boys vaccinated.