Steve Brine MP has said there will be no catch-up HPV vaccine programme for boys.
In a letter to the shadow public health minister Sharon Hodgson, he argues boys will benefit from ‘herd protection’.
However, the BDA believes up to 2 million boys will remain unprotected from HPV without a catch-up vaccine programme.
‘The latest data on vaccinations among girls illustrates precisely why we’ve needed a gender-neutral approach,’ Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), said.
‘It also shows why penny pinching on a catch-up programme will leave many school-aged boys unprotected.
‘There can be no guarantees of “herd protection” when nearly one in five girls are missing out on the vaccine.
‘A catch-up programme remains the best way to protect all our children from this cancer-causing virus.’
HPV vaccine
UK Government advisers recommended extending funding for HPV vaccines to boys earlier this year.
The HPV vaccine was previously offered to girls aged 12 to 13, with the new recommendation meaning 400,000 boys will also benefit every year.
All UK Government’s took on board the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunsation’s (JCVI’s) advice.
‘The JCVI’s advice that boys should be vaccinated is very welcome news for boys and their parents,’ HPV Action campaign director, Peter Baker, said.
‘It will also benefit those girls who, for whatever reason, have not been vaccinated against HPV.
‘We have waited a very long time for this announcement and it is now imperative that ministers accept the JCVI’s advice without delay so that no more boys left at risk.
‘HPV Action believes it is entirely realistic for the vaccination of boys to begin by September 2019 at the latest.’
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