Vaccine recommended for virgin men

"Men as well as women, need to be protected from the more dangerous strains of the virus," said Professor Dr Harald Zur Hausen of the German Cancer Research Centre, who discovered the virus which causes cervical cancer .

He said teenage boys should receive the vaccine to counter HPV type -16 and -18, which can contribute to the development of anal and penile cancer.

HPV is a papiloma virus that infects the skin and mucous membranes of humans. Doctors have identified 130 HPV types, some causing warts or cancer, while others have no symptoms.

Persistent infection with "high-risk" HPV types — different from the ones that cause warts — may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer.

HPV infection is a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Although the widespread use of Pap cervical smear testing has reduced the incidence and lethality of cervical cancer in developed countries, the disease still kills several hundred thousand women every year worldwide.

 HPV vaccines, which prevent infection with some of the sexually transmitted HPV types that cause the most disease, may lead to further decreases in the incidence of HPV-induced cancers.