Vaxster! Vaccinations for sexual health FAQs

Why get vaccinated?

Vaccination (also known as immunisation) is one of the most effective ways we have of preventing disease. Thanks to vaccines, many diseases like measles and polio are now rare in many countries. A vaccination will protect you for several years against an infection, including some infections that can be easily passed on when condoms are used.

What vaccines are available for sexually transmitted infections? 

For some of the most common STIs, like chlamydia and gonorrhoea, vaccines aren’t available. But there is a vaccine that can prevent infection with human papilloma virus (HPV). Sometimes infection with HPV causes no harm, other times it leads to genital or anal warts, and in some other cases it causes cervical cancer, anal cancer or other cancers. Other vaccines can protect against hepatitis A and hepatitis B, two viruses that can cause liver disease.  

What does getting vaccinated involve?

These vaccines may be available at a sexual health clinic or a GP. You’ll have a course of two or three injections in your arm, taken over a period of a few months. The number of injections and timing will depend on what you’re being vaccinated against, your clinic and what is convenient for you. To ensure that the vaccine works, it is important to come back for the follow-up injections. 

Who can get the hepatitis vaccines?

The NHS recommends the hepatitis B vaccine for anyone with multiple sexual partners, particularly men who have sex with men and sex workers. The hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for men who have sex who have multiple sexual partners. People living with HIV, people who inject drugs, people travelling to countries where the viruses are often found, and people whose work could bring them into contact with an infection are also recommended to get vaccinated. There’s more information here and here.

Will the hepatitis vaccines protect me from hepatitis C? 

Hepatitis A, B and C are not the same thing. These three viruses can all damage the liver, which is why they have similar names, but each virus is different. The vaccine for hepatitis A doesn’t work against hepatitis B, and the vaccine for hepatitis B doesn’t work against hepatitis A. Unfortunately there is no vaccine that will protect against hepatitis C. 

Who can get the HPV vaccine? 

In England, the NHS offers the HPV vaccine to all young people aged 12 to 13 in secondary schools. This will protect them as they get older and start to have sex. Click here to find out more about the NHS vaccination programme.

From 2019 all boys are now also routinely offered HPV vaccines in England. In other parts of the UK, HPV is also made available to all young people. Those who missed vaccinations at school can access the vaccine up until the age of 25.

Can adult gay men get the HPV vaccine?

Following a successful pilot scheme, gay and bisexual men of 45 and below in England can access free NHS HPV vaccination through sexual health clinics. This is also the case for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

What about trans people?

Trans women are eligible for HPV vaccination under the same eligibilility as the scheme for adult gay men. Adult trans men are eligible if they are having sex with other men. If an adult completed vaccination as a young person under the school based scheme, they do not need further doses.

Can adults get the HPV vaccine any other way?

A lot of private health clinics and high street chemists provide a course of HPV vaccinations, costing around £500 in total. If you are paying privately, it’s worth checking which vaccine product the clinic will provide, as products that protect against more strains of HPV provide more protection. Cervarix protects against two strains, Gardasil protects against four, and Gardasil 9 protects against nine.

Why can’t older adults get the HPV vaccine?

The HPV virus is very common and is easily spread by sexual activity – most adults have already been exposed to some strains of HPV. If you already have multiple strains of HPV, vaccination will protect you from strains you don’t yet have, but can’t do anything about the strains you already have. That’s why it’s best to have the vaccine at as young an age as possible, before being exposed to HPV.  

What about meningitis?

Invasive meningococcal disease is a rare but serious bacterial infection. In recent years, there have been small outbreaks among gay men in some American cities, as well as in Berlin and Paris. If you are a gay man who often meets sexual partners when travelling, there could be benefits to getting vaccinated. The NHS doesn’t usually provide the vaccine to gay men, but it is available to people under the age of 25 who weren’t vaccinated as a child and also at travel clinics for people visiting some African and Middle Eastern countries. 

Can people living with HIV take these vaccines?

The vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningitis are safe for people living with HIV.