THURSDAY, June 27, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The recommended maximum age for male HPV vaccination should be raised from 21 to 26, a U.S. government advisory group says.

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The decision Wednesday by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) would make the age recommendation the same for both men and women, the Associated Press reported.

The vaccine protects against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can cause genital warts and certain types of cancers, the AP reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that half of adult Americans under 60 have had some form of genital HPV.

The HPV vaccine is typically given to 11- and 12-year olds to help shield them from sexually transmitted HPV before sexual activity begins. However, women as old as 26 have also been advised to get a “catch up” vaccine if they had missed the shots as young girls.

Because studies show that males tend to be exposed to HPV earlier in life than females, the advisory had been that men get a “catch up shot” by 21. But ACIP said it was now equalizing the age recommendations at 26, to make it easier for physicians.

The committee’s recommendations are almost always followed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they are used as guidance for U.S. doctors.

In another move, the panel said it was no longer advising that healthy Americans 65 and older routinely receive a vaccine called Prevnar 13. The shot fights bacteria that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other illnesses, the AP reported.

The move comes after evidence that campaigns to reduce the spread of the bacteria among children has also resulted in many fewer cases among older Americans. As well, a 2014 advisory to vaccinate seniors seems to have conferred no added benefit, ACIP said.

So, decisions on whether American seniors receive the Prevnar 13 shot be made on an individual basis, the panel said, after a discussion between doctors and patients.

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