All warts must go!

A federal advisory committee recommended today that 11- and 12-year-old boys routinely receive a vaccine that girls the same age have been given over the past five years to stop a sexually transmitted virus - a move that could help increase acceptance of the human papillomavirus shot. Boston-area physicians say the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation, which is likely to be adopted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will make them more willing to urge parents to seek the vaccine for their sons. Until now, doctors could give the vaccine to preteen boys, but without the official blessing of the nation’s leading disease prevention agency. It's amazing how far vaccinations have come since Edward Jenner came up with a cure for smallpox, which has now been eradicated. And they'd better start mass vaccinations soon because about 20 million Americans are infected with the human papillomavirus, known commonly as HPV. HPV has been associated with genital warts and a variety of cancers, including cervical, anal, penile, and an increasing incidence of throat cancer. An estimated 7,000 men develop HPV-related cancers every year, and now, the epidemic can finally be stemmed.