GENITAL wart infections have plunged in just 12 months since the national rollout of Gardasil vaccines, and a health expert says there is now hope of eradicating them.

New cases of the sexually transmitted infection have halved in women under 28, said Christopher Fairley, director of Melbourne Sexual Health Centre.

Fewer young men have presented to the clinic with new cases since January last year, the effective start of protection under the National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program.

Professor Fairley said early indications from his centre, which reviewed 36,000 new patient contacts going back to 2004, were that the vaccine rollout was having a dramatic effect.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au