GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Gardasil is one of the most recent HPV vaccines to hit the United Kingdom, and its presence appears to be having an effect, with an increased number of gay men being immunized with the new vaccine, according to reports released late last week.

London clinics are reporting the increase, suggesting that gay men in the dozens are visiting their clinics, seeking to be immunized with the Gardasil vaccine.

When speaking to Reuters, Dr. Sean Cummings of the Freedomhealth clinic (a specialist clinic to treatment of gay men in London), said "The situation in gay men is analogous to the early stages of cervical cancer screening and the rates of anal cancer in men who have anal sex are akin to those prior to the cervical cancer screening program, at around 35 per 100,000."

Last year, Gardasil was controversially announced to be a treatment to HPV (human papillomavirus, which can also be sexually transmitted) for cervical cancer in women, but further research has revealed that the virus can also lead to penile and anal cancers.

It is currently being reviewed by the British government whether the vaccine should be introduced in schools in an attempt to reduce current cervical cancer figures.