Can vaccination for HPV virus help someone who already has genital warts? Will
it help to protect my partner?
– Mel*
Getting the HPV vaccine
is definitely still a good idea for you. That's because there are different types
of HPV — some that cause warts,
and others that cause cancer. Even if you have already been infected with the type
of HPV that causes genital warts, you can still protect yourself against the types
that can cause cancer since you may not be infected with those types yet.
If you get vaccinated now, it won't protect your partner,
though. But your partner can be vaccinated too. Both guys and girls should be vaccinated
against HPV to help prevent the spread of the disease.
Even if you and your partner have both been vaccinated, always use condoms for
any type of sex (oral, anal, or vaginal). Condoms help prevent the spread of the types
of HPV that are not covered by the vaccine. And, of course, condoms also
help protect against other sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs).
*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.
Date reviewed: December 2020
