The Gillard government recently announced that boys will be included in the nations free vaccination program to eliminate cervical cancer. Its the first time any nation has done so and the media made an effort to promote our world-first status.

Whats less well-known is that well be the first country to start protecting future generations of gay men.

The reason this good news story fell by the wayside is that weve fallen victim to the oversimplification of the issues around cervical cancer, the Gardasil vaccine, and one hell of a nasty sexually transmitted infection.

So let me start by taking a few questions:

Q: They gave that stuff to girls to stop them getting the cancer all up their lady bits. Why would they give it to guys too?

Thats right anonymous figure of my own creation, the Gardasil vaccine has been given free to girls and young women for a few years now. Back when it was starting there was a whole bunch of publicity about it being the cervical cancer vaccine. Hell, we even made the guy who invented it Australian of the Year and made him honourary hero of cervixes.

Thats kind of wrong. The vaccine doesnt immunise you against cancer, it immunises you against a virus that causes the cancer. But cervical cancer is only the main billing of what this virus does. It also causes genital warts, followed by cancers on your throat, tonsils, genitals of whatever flavour, and finally, cancer of the ass.

One virus can cause all these shitty-ass cancers. The vaccine stops that virus.

Q: Ohhh, thats nasty. What the hell is this thing?

Probably heard of it: the Humanpapilloma virus, HPV in brief. It is particularly nasty for a few reasons.

Read the original:
Sex / Health / Fitness: Why Gardasil is good for gay men