HPV vaccine in Taichung: 9-valent, for men and women aged 9 to 45

In short

• It is approved for people aged 9 to 45, men and women. This follows the product information approved in Taiwan by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The same age range does not mean the same list of diseases: the product information lists different lesions for men and for women, as set out below.
• Men can be infected with HPV too. Infection in men can lead to genital warts and to anal lesions.
• It is a preventive vaccine, not a treatment. It helps the body build an immune response to the covered types before infection. It is not indicated for treating lesions that already exist.
• It does not replace cervical screening. Vaccination does not remove the need for the screening your doctor recommends.
• In Taiwan the publicly funded programme covers junior high school students only. Adults and visitors pay for the vaccine themselves. Costs are explained at the consultation.

What HPV is, and why it is not only a women’s issue

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that spreads mainly through sexual contact. The HPV family has more than one hundred types. The low-risk types, such as HPV 6 and HPV 11, are the main cause of genital warts (condylomata acuminata). The high-risk types, such as HPV 16 and HPV 18, are closely linked to cervical cancer in women, and to anal cancer and cancer of the oropharynx (the middle part of the throat) in both men and women.

Calling it “the cervical cancer vaccine” is a common and serious misunderstanding. HPV infects people of any sex. If only one partner is vaccinated, the other may still carry the virus, and the two partners can then infect each other again and again. This is sometimes called a ping-pong effect, because the virus moves back and forth between them.

This clinic offers the 9-valent HPV vaccine only. This page describes its approved indications and covered types. It does not compare one vaccine with another.

Approved indications in Taiwan

The text below is taken from the Chinese-language product information for the 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine, approved by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (licence 衛部菌疫輸字第001001號). This follows the product information approved in Taiwan.

The vaccine is indicated for people aged 9 to 45. It produces an active immune response, in order to prevent the following diseases caused by HPV:

1. Cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, and the oropharynx and other head and neck sites, caused by HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58;
2. Precancerous lesions of the cervix, vulva, vagina and anus, caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. A precancerous lesion is an abnormal area of cells that may turn into cancer later;
3. Genital warts (condylomata acuminata) caused by HPV types 6 and 11.

One further point in the same document: the cancer indication does not include types 6 and 11, while the precancerous lesion indication covers all nine types.

The nine covered types

This table maps types to indications. It is not a comparison between vaccines. Source: the approved product information database of the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration.

Age and sex: the groups are not the same

The product information has a section headed “effectiveness has mainly been shown in”. The age ranges and the lesions listed in that section are different for men and for women. This matters when a couple are deciding together.

• Men and women aged 9 to 45: genital warts caused by HPV types 6 and 11.
• Women aged 9 to 26: cervical cancer caused by types 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58. Also cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN, precancerous cell changes in the cervix), grade 1 and grades 2 and 3, caused by all nine covered types. Also adenocarcinoma in situ of the cervix (AIS, an early cancer that has not spread), and intraepithelial neoplasia of the vulva (VIN 2/3) and of the vagina (ValN 2/3), caused by types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
• Women aged 27 to 45: cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN 1), caused by types 6, 11, 16 and 18.
• Men aged 9 to 26: anal cancer caused by types 16 and 18, and anal intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3 (AIN 2/3) caused by types 6, 11, 16 and 18.

The same document also states that safety in men aged 27 to 45 was inferred from safety data in other groups: boys and men aged 9 to 26 and girls and women aged 9 to 45 who received the 9-valent vaccine, and people aged 9 to 45 who received the earlier quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Number of doses and schedule

• Age 9 to 14: 2 doses (month 0, then month 6 to 12), or 3 doses (months 0, 2 and 6).
• Age 15 to 45: 3 doses (months 0, 2 and 6).

One note on the 2-dose schedule for ages 9 to 14 only: if the second dose is given less than 5 months after the first dose, a third dose should be given at least 4 months after the second dose. This does not apply to the 3-dose schedule for ages 15 to 45.

The actual number of doses is arranged by the doctor, based on your age and past vaccination record. Please tell us if you have received any HPV vaccine before.

Who should not receive it, and what side effects can occur

Contraindications

You should not receive this vaccine if you have a hypersensitivity to it. This includes a severe allergic reaction to yeast, which is one of the components of the vaccine. It also includes a severe allergic reaction after an earlier dose of the 9-valent HPV vaccine or of the earlier quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Please tell the doctor first if any of these apply to you

The approved product information also lists these points. Pregnancy: vaccination should be avoided during pregnancy. Please tell us if you are pregnant, or think you may be. Low platelets or a bleeding disorder: the injection goes into a muscle, so care is needed if you have thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count) or any clotting disorder, because bleeding can follow an injection into a muscle. A weakened immune system: if your immune system is weakened, or you are having treatment that suppresses it, your immune response to the vaccine may be lower than usual.

Common adverse reactions

At the injection site: pain, swelling, redness, itching, bruising, a haematoma (a pocket of blood under the skin), a lump, bleeding, hardening of the skin, and a feeling of warmth.

General: headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, diarrhoea, throat pain, muscle pain, upper abdominal pain, and upper respiratory tract infection. For the full list of adverse reactions, please see the product information.

Fainting and the 15-minute wait

People who receive a vaccine may faint, and a fall can cause injury. For this reason it is advised to receive the injection while seated, and to stay for 15 minutes of observation after the injection.

What the vaccine does not do

These limits are stated in the approved product information.

• It does not replace screening. Vaccination does not remove the need to follow the screening advice of your healthcare provider for cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, oropharynx and other head and neck sites.
• It is not a treatment. It is not indicated for treating external genital lesions; cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus, oropharynx and other head and neck sites; or cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal intraepithelial neoplasia. Warts that have already appeared still need separate treatment.
• It has not been shown to prevent disease caused by HPV types that the vaccine does not cover, or by HPV types you already acquired through earlier sexual activity.
• Not all of these cancers are caused by HPV. This applies to cancers of the vulva, vagina and anus, and of the mouth and other head and neck sites.
• It does not prevent genital disease that is not caused by HPV, and it may not produce protection in every person who receives it.

A related point: a condom covers only part of the contact surface, so it cannot completely block transmission that happens through skin contact. Vaccination, condoms and regular screening each cover a different part of the problem.

If you and your partner are deciding together

Sexual partners can infect each other again. The vaccine is preventive, so it acts only on covered types that a person has not yet acquired. It does not treat lesions that already exist.

Whether each of you should be vaccinated, and the number and timing of doses, is assessed individually by the doctor, based on age, past vaccination record and current condition.

Women should continue with cervical screening as advised by their doctor after vaccination.

Publicly funded vaccination in Taiwan

In Taiwan, the publicly funded HPV vaccination programme is for junior high school students, both boys and girls. The first dose is given at school as a group vaccination. Students who miss it may be able to apply for a catch-up dose later. The details change each school year: which entry year is covered, the dates of birth, the number of doses, and who can still apply for a catch-up dose.

Adults and visitors are therefore self-paid. Adults pay for the vaccine themselves whether or not they are enrolled in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance. If you are not enrolled in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance, the consultation is self-paid as well. Costs are explained at the consultation.

The eligible groups and the way the programme is run follow the announcements of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Promotion Administration. If those announcements differ from this page, follow the announcements.

Your visit: what happens

1. Book through the online form, LINE, or by telephone.
2. Registration. Please bring your passport or resident certificate — it is needed to create the medical record.
3. Consultation. The doctor reviews your age, your past vaccination record and your current condition, and decides the number of doses. Please mention any severe allergic reaction you have had, including any reaction to yeast.
4. Injection and observation. The injection is given while you are seated, and you stay for 15 minutes afterwards.

Useful to bring: any record of HPV vaccines you have already received, with dates and number of doses, and a note of your allergies and current medicines. This page is health information and does not replace an assessment in person.

Points worth clearing up before you book

Related pages

• Genital warts and HPV: treating lesions and preventing infection are two different things (Chinese)
• HPV self-sampling for women (Chinese)
• Sexually transmitted infection screening: what is tested and when (Chinese)
• Syphilis: symptoms and the window period (Chinese) — the vaccine does not cover syphilis.

Appointments and access

Consultations are conducted in Mandarin, and can also be conducted in English.

昭安泌尿科診所 (Morning Urology Clinic)
No. 98, Boguan 2nd St., West District, Taichung City 403, Taiwan（403 臺中市西區博館二街98號）
Consulting hours: Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday). Online booking is open 24 hours.

This page was produced by 昭安泌尿科診所 (Morning Urology Clinic). Medical content last updated: June 2026 (same as the Traditional Chinese version). English version published: 4 September 2026. Medically reviewed by Dr. Chao-An Chen, urologist.

Sources: Taiwan FDA approved product information database / Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare. The indications, doses, contraindications and adverse reactions on this page follow the Chinese-language product information approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (licence number 衛部菌疫輸字第001001號).

This page provides general medical information and does not replace an individual diagnosis or treatment plan. Please confirm anything concerning your own symptoms or test results at a face-to-face consultation.