[LINK] "HPV vaccination concerns about promiscuity deemed 'unwarranted'"

[rfmcdonald]

Surprise! The HPV vaccine does not encourage young girls who received it to be more promiscuous, instead and merely protecting them against cervical cancer. From the CBC:

Since 2006, an HPV vaccine has been licensed in countries including Canada to protect against four types of the virus. But there have been concerns that the vaccine might give girls and women a false sense of security, and encourage promiscuity.

Researchers from Montreal and Kingston, Ont. followed a group of more than 260,000 girls. About half were eligible to receive HPV shots when Ontario introduced a vaccination program to Grade 8 students in 2007 and 2008.

Dr. Leah Smith of the department of epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health at McGill University in Montreal and her team examined data on vaccine receipt, as well as on indicators of sexual behaviour, specifically pregnancy and non-HPV-related sexually transmitted infections.

HPV vaccination and eligibility for the program did not increase the risk of pregnancy or the STIs among females aged 14 to 17, the researchers found.

"We present strong evidence that HPV vaccination does not have any significant effect on clinical indicators of sexual behaviour among adolescent girls," the study’s authors conclude in Monday’s CMAJ issue.