What Does the HPV Vaccine Do?
The HPV vaccine has been developed to reduce the risk that women face in contracting the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is known for causing a variety of cancers including most cervical cancers, cancers of the vagina, vulva, anus, and the back of the throat. There are also several types of HPV that cause genital warts, against which the HPV vaccine also protects. Genital HPV is most commonly passed through skin-to-skin contact, most frequently through sexual intercourse, with most of those who are sexually active contracting HPV at some point in their lives, although most people will never develop symptoms so they will not know.
