HPV vaccine could be offered to boys

"HPV vaccine could be given to boys as well as girls in UK," The Guardian reports. It goes on to say that, "Government advisers are to consider whether the HPV vaccine, routinely offered to girls at the ages of 12 and 13 since 2008 to help protect them against cervical cancer, should also be offered to boys and some men". The news appears to be based on draft minutes from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI advises the government on how vaccinations may reduce health problems – and considers the evidence on factors such as the prevalence of diseases, and the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. The latest draft minutes of the JCVI say that as part of its work on the HPV vaccine it agreed that "further work was required to consider a number of key issues", including vaccinating: men who have sex with men, if they attend sexual health services adolescent males Boys are routinely vaccinated against HPV in many other developed nations such as Australia and the US. It's clear that officials in the UK would want to understand whether such a programme would be safe, effective and provide value for taxpayers' money.   Who currently gets the HPV vaccine? A type of HPV vaccine called Gardasil is routinely offered to secondary school girls aged 12 and 13 as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme. Gardasil protects against the two types of HPV responsible for more than 70% of cervical cancers...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Medication QA articles Cancer Source Type: news