Giving Compass' Take:

• Research finds that young, minority, gay, and bisexual men have high rates of HPV despite there being an available vaccine. 

• How can donors help fund outreach programs to these populations? Are these vaccines accessible to everyone?

• Read about why there is limited funding for STD issues. 

Research finds that young minority gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men have high rates of HPV infection, despite the availability of a vaccine that can prevent infection.

“The lack of HPV vaccination in sexual minority men is a missed prevention opportunity,” says lead author Perry Halkitis, dean of Rutgers School of Public Health. “We are already witnessing higher rates of HPV-related cancers in older gay and sexual minority men, which is completely avoidable and preventable in more recent generations.

“Additionally, we know that those living with HIV are much more likely to be impacted by HPV infection and HPV-related cancers. Given that sexual minority men are also at highest risk for testing positive for HIV, there is an urgency in ensuring HPV vaccination before these young men engage in sexual behavior.”

The study, which appears in AIDS Patient Care and STDs, examines the prevalence of HPV exposure, HIV infection, and HPV vaccination in a group of men whose average age was 23 and were predominantly members of ethnic or racial minority groups.

Read the full article about HPV prevention by Patti Verbanas-Rutgers at Futurity