Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Key facts

  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection that occurs in both females and males.

  • HPV is usually cleared by the immune system, but sometimes the infection stays present in the body for many years. 

  • Vaccinating your adolescent protects them from the HPV types that can cause cancer.

  • HPV vaccination can prevent up to 90% of cervical cancers.

Last updated on 13 August 2025.

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When to vaccinate against HPV

It is recommended that you vaccinate your adolescent against human papillomavirus (HPV) at 12–13 years.


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What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection that occurs in both females and males. There are many types of HPV that can affect various parts of the body. Many people can have HPV without knowing it. Even if they have some symptoms of an HPV infection, most people’s immune systems clear HPV infections within 2 years. However, HPV may also stay present in the body for many years. If this happens, some HPV types can cause cancer.1

HPV infection may cause cervical, vaginal, vulval, anal, penile, throat and other cancers. Before the vaccine was available, almost 90% of sexually active people were infected with HPV at some point in their lives.2

What will happen to my adolescent if they catch HPV?

Usual symptoms

  • Certain HPV types can cause genital warts. These look like small lumps that can be found around the vagina, penis or anus. HPV can also cause benign (non-cancerous) tumours that grow in the throat (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis).3
     

Rare symptoms

  • In 3–10% of people, an HPV infection isn’t cleared by the immune system and can stay in the body.1 In both males and females, if certain HPV types stay in the body for many years, there is an increased risk of developing cancer.3 Cancers caused by HPV infection include cervical, vaginal, vulval, anal, penile, and some neck and head cancers. 
What vaccine will protect my adolescent against HPV?

In Australia, adolescents are recommended to receive a vaccine that protects against nine types (strains) of HPV.

When should my adolescent be vaccinated against HPV?

It is recommended that adolescents get one dose of a vaccine that protects against HPV at 12–13 years of age (year 7 or equivalent) before they become sexually active.

This dose is usually given for free via school-based immunisation programs. The age of vaccination varies by state and territory.  

Even if your adolescent is mildly unwell on the day of their appointment (this means no fever and a temperature under 38.5°C) they can still receive the vaccine.

All adolescents and young adults who have not received an HPV vaccine are eligible for a free catch-up dose before they turn 26 years old, regardless of whether they have been sexually active. 

Adolescents who have a very weak immune system and have difficulty fighting infections (severely immunocompromised) are recommended to receive three doses of the vaccine. The second dose is given 2 months after the first dose and the third dose is given 4 months after the second dose.

It is important that adolescents get all their recommended vaccinations to ensure they have the best possible protection against infectious diseases.

How do HPV vaccines work?

The vaccine works by ‘training’ your adolescent’s immune system to recognise and get rid of the HPV virus. The vaccine contains antigens, which are tiny, harmless fragments of the HPV virus. 

When your adolescent’s immune system detects the antigens in the vaccine, their body produces proteins called antibodies. These antibodies are like soldiers that recognise and remember the HPV virus. If your adolescent is ever exposed to the real virus, their immune system will recognise it quickly and fight it off using the antibodies it created after vaccination.4

The HPV vaccine does not contain any blood products and is not a ‘live’ vaccine. The antigens are made synthetically and are not the real virus. They cannot replicate themselves or cause disease.  

How effective are HPV vaccines?

Studies have shown a single dose of the HPV vaccine is highly effective and prevents more than 95% of HPV infections that can stay present (are persistent) in the body.5

The HPV vaccine can also prevent up to 90% of cervical cancers and 96% of anal cancers in Australia.6

The vaccine also prevents persistent anal and genital HPV infections and warts in both men and women.7,8

Will my adolescent catch HPV from the vaccine?

No, there is no risk that your adolescent will catch HPV, because the vaccine does not contain the live viruses that cause the disease.

What are the common reactions to the HPV vaccine?

Up to 80–90% of people who have vaccines that protect against HPV experience mild discomfort, redness or pain where the injection was given. This can last for one or two days after receiving the vaccine.9,10,11

Less than 0.007% (7 per 100,000) people can experience a fever, headache, nausea, dizziness or fatigue after receiving a vaccine that protects against HPV.11

About 0.0071% (7.1 per 100,000 doses) of adolescents receiving a dose of a vaccine that protects against HPV experience fainting or related symptoms such as dizziness.12

Are there any rare and/or serious side effects to the HPV vaccine?
  • The rate of anaphylaxis (a serious allergic reaction that affects the whole body) in people receiving an HPV vaccine dose is low (0.32 per 100,000 doses).13 This reaction usually happens within 15 minutes of getting the vaccine and it can be treated with an injection of adrenaline. People who have this reaction usually recover quickly and don’t experience any long-term effects.14
  • One scientific study from France showed the possibility of a very small increased risk (approximately 1 in 100,000 females vaccinated) of a person developing a rare disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after they receive an HPV vaccine.15 GBS is a disorder that can cause muscle weakness, numbness and problems swallowing or breathing. However, when larger study results are combined (which include over 10 million people) the risk of GBS is very rare and the evidence for an association with HPV vaccination is very weak.16,17,18,19

If your adolescent doesn’t seem to be getting better or you are worried about them, you can get help from: 

  • your doctor
  • your nearest emergency department
  • or by calling Health Direct on 1800 022 222.
What impact has vaccination had on the spread of HPV?

Rates of genital warts and cervical abnormalities caused by HPV began to decline after the introduction of the HPV vaccine under the National Immunisation Program in 2007. These rates declined even more after the program was extended to include vaccination in males.20,21

What if I still have questions?

You can read answers to common questions here.

If you still have some questions about vaccinations for your adolescent, write them down and make an appointment with your nurse, your doctor or your health worker so you can ask them.

Please note: In SKAI Adolescent, the phrase ‘your adolescent’ refers to all guardian relationships where health decisions for an adolescent fall under your responsibility.

Drafts of this page were reviewed by members of our Consumer Advisory Group.


  1. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. Human papillomavirus (HPV): Australian Immunisation Handbook. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; 2025. Available from https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/human-papillomavirus-hpv
  2. Chesson HW, Dunne EF, Hariri S et al. The estimated lifetime probability of acquiring human papillomavirus in the United States. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2014;41:660-64
  3. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Volume 90: Human papillomaviruses. World Health Organization; 2007. Available from https://publications.iarc.fr/108
  4. Australian Academy of Science. The science of immunisation. Available from https://www.science.org.au/education/immunisation-climate-change-genetic-modification/science-immunisation
  5. Barnabas RV, Brown ER, Onono MA et al. Efficacy of single-dose HPV vaccination among young African women. New England Journal of Medicine Evidence 2022;1:EVIDoa2100056
  6. Patel C, Brotherton JM, Pillsbury A, et al. The impact of 10 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Australia: what additional disease burden will a nonavalent vaccine prevent? Eurosurveillance 2018;23
  7. Ellingson MK, Sheikha H, Nyhan K et al. Human papillomavirus vaccine effectiveness by age at vaccination: a systematic review. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2023; 19:2239085
  8. Giuliano AR, Palefsky JM, Goldstone S et al. Efficacy of quadrivalent HPV vaccine against HPV infection and disease in males. New England Journal of Medicine 2011; 364:401-11. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0909537. Erratum in New England Journal of Medicine 2011;364:1481
  9. Moreira ED Jr, Block SL, Ferris D et al. Safety profile of the 9-valent HPV vaccine: a combined analysis of 7 phase III clinical trials. Pediatrics 2016;138:e20154387
  10. Macartney KK, Chiu C, Georgousakis M et al. Safety of human papillomavirus vaccines: a review. Drug Safety 2013;36:393-412
  11. Angelo MG, Zima J, Tavares Da Silva F et al. Post-licensure safety surveillance for human papillomavirus-16/18-AS04-adjuvanted vaccine: more than 4 years of experience. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2014;23:456-65
  12. Phillips A, Hickie M, Totterdell J et al. Adverse events following HPV vaccination: 11 years of surveillance in Australia. Vaccine 2020;38:6038-46
  13. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Gardasil (human papillomavirus vaccine). Therapeutic Goods Administration. June 2010. Available from https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-alerts/gardasil-human-papillomavirus-vaccine
  14. McNeil MM, Weintraub ES, Duffy J et al. Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2016;137: 868-78
  15. Miranda S, Chaignot C, Collin C, et al. Human papillomavirus vaccination and risk of autoimmune diseases: A large cohort study of over 2 million young girls in France. Vaccine 2017;35:4761-68
  16. Boender TS, Bartmeyer B, Coole L et al. Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after vaccination against human papillomavirus: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 1 January 2000 to 4 April 2020. Eurosurveillance 2022;27
  17. Andrews N, Stowe J & Miller E. No increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after human papilloma virus vaccine: a self-controlled case-series study in England. Vaccine 2017;35:1729-32
  18. Gee J, Sukumaran L & Weintraub E. Risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome following quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Vaccine2017;35:5756-58
  19. Deceuninck G, Sauvageau C, Gilca V et al. Absence of association between Guillain-Barré syndrome hospitalizations and HPV-vaccine. Expert Review of Vaccines 2018;17:99-102
  20. Rashid H, Dey A, Wang H et al. Sustained decline in hospitalisations for anogenital warts in Australia: analysis of national hospital morbidity data 2003–2020. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 2024;9:79
  21. National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Impact evaluation of Australian national human papillomavirus vaccination program. Final report. 2021. Available from https://ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2021-02/Impact%20evaluation%20of%20national%20HPV%20vaccination%20program_February%202021_Report.pdf [PDF]