Boys Should Also Be Given HPV Vaccine To Protect About Cancer, Say Experts

Boys Should Also Be Given HPV Vaccine To Protect About Cancer

Schoolboys should be given the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine - just as girls are - in a bid protect them from certain cancers.

Girls are currenlty vaccinated in a bid to protect against cervical cancer and, according to the Faculty of Public Health and the British Association for Sexual Health, boys should also be given the jab.

HPV is linked to a range of cancers not exclusive to women, including those associated with the penis, anus, mouth and throat.

Despite this the Department of Health say there is no plan to extend the programme to include boys.

Speaking to the BBC, head of the Faculty of Public Health Prof John Ashton said that the vaccination would affect the lives of all men, especially gay men.

Dr Janet Wilson, the president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, added: "We need to take action to address the lack of protection men who have sex with men receive from the current all-girls HPV vaccination programme.

"It is unfair that they remain unprotected."

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