What is the HPV vaccine?

HPV vaccine, short for human papillomavirus vaccine, is a type of preventive vaccine. This vaccine is primarily used to prevent cervical cancer, precancerous lesions, and genital warts caused by high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The HPV vaccine works by injecting vaccine containing HPV virus-like particles, stimulating the body to produce immune antibodies against HPV virus, thereby preventing HPV infection and the occurrence of related diseases. HPV vaccines are mainly divided into three types: bivalent, quadrivalent, and nonavalent vaccines. The bivalent vaccine primarily prevents two high-risk HPV types, HPV16 and HPV18. On the basis of the bivalent vaccine, the quadrivalent vaccine adds protection against two low-risk HPV types, HPV6 and HPV11, which mainly cause genital warts. The nonavalent vaccine further adds protection against five additional high-risk HPV types beyond the four covered by the quadrivalent vaccine, offering broader coverage against virus types that may lead to cervical cancer.