The human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil 9, has recently been approved for use by people ages 27 to 49. The HPV vaccine was only previously approved for people between the ages of 9 and 26.

“Today’s approval represents an important opportunity to help prevent HPV-related diseases and cancers in a broader age range,” says Dr. Peter Marks, a source from the FDA.

Marks says, according to CDC statistics, the “HPV vaccination prior to becoming infected with the HPV types covered by the vaccine has the potential to prevent more than 90 percent of these cancers, or 31,200 cases every year, from ever developing.”

Around 80 million people in have some type of HPV, and 14 million are infected yearly. Many HPV infections resolve themselves, but certain types can stay in the body. Some HPV strains can cause cancer in the cervix, vagina, and vulva in women; penis cancer; and anal cancer, genital warts, and neck and head cancers in men and women.

Gardasil 9 protects against the 9 HPV strands that cause the most health related issues.

CDC recommendations

The CDC currently recommends that boys and girls receive the vaccination between 11 and 12, but it can begin at age 9.

If the vaccine is administered before 15, there will be two doses given. The second dose will be given 6 to 12 months after the initial one.

If given after 15, they should receive 3 doses. The second should be after two months and the third after six months.

Those who are gay, bisexual, and transgender, or immunocompromised individuals, should also receive the vaccine.