# Efficacy of HPV vaccine received after infection? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029 "2014-10-30T16:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/1 "2014-10-30T16:56:16Z")
Was reading this [article](http://news.yahoo.com/hpv-vaccines-power-prevent-cancer-131129890.html), which states that the vaccine can protect against certain types of cancer, but it’s not clear on whether it MUST be taken before HPV is contracted. Does anyone know? Consulting The Google indicates that the rate of infection among sexually active individuals is high - at least 50% have had the infection at some point in their lives. From a personal perspective, I’m mainly concerned about head and neck cancer, which it has been indicated to be a source of. I’ve never had genital warts or anything like that (though dated someone who did - we never had sexual contact, but did plenty of deep kissing, and I would guess based on her history she was subject to oral exposure as well). I have other high risk factors (former smoker and drinker when I was younger)…would the vaccine offer any protection at all? I’m sure I have some strain of it already - for example, when I’m stressed and running on low sleep I’ll occasionally develop a mouth ulcer, which I understand are due to some strain of HPV. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/2 "2014-10-30T18:13:34Z")
Would the vaccine offer any protection at all? Unknown. There is no evidence that either HPV vaccine formulation alters the course of vaccine-type HPV infections present before immunization. These data reinforce the use of HPV vaccine to prevent infection rather than as a therapeutic intervention to treat preexisting HPV infection and related diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/3 "2014-10-30T20:48:51Z")
Isn’t that generally true of vaccines? They’re preventative, not curative. They stimulate your immune system as though you had the infection, while giving you a harmless version of the infection. If you already have the infection, your immune system is already being stimulated, so, not much help. Right? That is, it’s totally unlike TV and the movies, where they need a sample of the strain to develop a vaccine, while the hero or heroine is at death’s door and will die in about 87 seconds, only to be given the vaccine just in time, causing him or her to be all back to full health after a good night’s sleep! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/4 "2014-10-30T21:43:53Z")
> [@joemama24\_98](#): > > I’m sure I have some strain of it already - for example, when I’m stressed and running on low sleep I’ll occasionally develop a mouth ulcer, which I understand are due to some strain of HPV. That’s [_not_](http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/canker-sore/basics/causes/con-20021262?_ga=1.194327981.1418072418.1414705285) a manifestation of HPV. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/5 "2014-10-30T21:53:57Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > That is, it’s totally unlike TV and the movies, where they need a sample of the strain to develop a vaccine, while the hero or heroine is at death’s door and will die in about 87 seconds, only to be given the vaccine just in time, causing him or her to be all back to full health after a good night’s sleep! An episode of _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ addressed this, in that they were looking for a cure for a virus one of the characters had. Everyone else kept saying “vaccine”, she (the team’s biochemist) repeatedly said they should call it an “antiserum”. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/6 "2014-10-31T10:28:52Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > Isn’t that generally true of vaccines? They’re preventative, not curative. They stimulate your immune system as though you had the infection, while giving you a harmless version of the infection. If you already have the infection, your immune system is already being stimulated, so, not much help. Right? > > That is, it’s totally unlike TV and the movies, where they need a sample of the strain to develop a vaccine, while the hero or heroine is at death’s door and will die in about 87 seconds, only to be given the vaccine just in time, causing him or her to be all back to full health after a good night’s sleep! That’s how I understand vaccines to work, but they always give you the tetanus vaccine after it appears you’ve been infected and it seems to work. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/7 "2014-10-31T11:38:32Z")
Interesting point. I wonder if perhaps the tetanus vaccine, if delivered timely enough, is able to stimulate the production of antibodies in less time than it would take for tetanus spores to incubate and initiate an infection. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/8 "2014-10-31T13:36:44Z")
I believe that the tetanus vaccine is given before tetanus actually appears. That is, if we get a wound while working in a latrine, we see the doctor who gives a tetanus vaccine to prevent the infection from taking hold. For example, Mayo Clinic says: > [@mayo clinic](#): > > There’s no cure for tetanus. Treatment focuses on managing complications until the effects of the tetanus toxin resolve. > … > See your doctor to obtain a tetanus booster shot if you have a deep or dirty wound and you haven’t had a booster shot within the past five years or aren’t sure of when your last booster was. Or see your doctor about a tetanus booster for any wound — especially if it may have been contaminated with dirt, animal feces or manure — if you haven’t had a booster shot within the past 10 years or aren’t sure of when you were last vaccinated. Which is consistent with Kaylasdad’s conjecture. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/9 "2014-10-31T14:51:17Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > That’s how I understand vaccines to work, but they always give you the tetanus vaccine after it appears you’ve been infected and it seems to work. No, they give you a tetanus booster after you’ve injured yourself in a way that _might_ cause tetanus, not after you show signs of possibly having it. Fortunately, tetanus has a [long incubation period](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanus#Incubation_period). ---
**Author:** ![Fishtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@Fishtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishtar)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/10 "2014-11-01T10:56:19Z")
It might help prevent the infection of new tissue a bit. If you already have the virus, your white cells are well aware of what it looks likes. But HPV is good at evading the immune system. Still, giving your lymphocytes a good dose of the HPV antigens ( the vaccine) might well make them a bit more vigilant and help stop the virus from migrating to new sites. There are new theraputic vaccines on the horizon as well (the ones I have read about are more antibody therapy than vaccine though). But there are 70 or so types of HPV, and nobody cares about 60 of them. Because they are not oncogenic. So if you do indeed have one of the other 60 no vaccine will help, but they are probably not much of a concern anyway Here is a test for the two most dangerous types. if a doc thinks one of your weird mouth things is indeed suspicious. [http://ltd.aruplab.com/tests/pub/2002899](http://ltd.aruplab.com/tests/pub/2002899) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/efficacy-of-hpv-vaccine-received-after-infection/703029/11 "2014-11-01T13:35:46Z")
Rabies vaccine is given after possible exposure. But rabies has a long (around 6 months) incubation time. For HPV, I suppose it hasn’t been studied. Or studied enough.