NOW BOYS WILL GET HPV VACCINE
Government confirms life-saving jab set to be extended to males
THE Government aims to roll out the HPV vaccine to boys next year.
This will mean that the jab which protects against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus will now save the lives of boys as well as girls.
Currently the HPV vaccination programme here is only offered to girls – aged 12 and 13 – in their first year of secondary school.
The sexually transmitted virus is most commonly known as a cause of cervical cancer. However, it can also cause a range of cancers in men.
The Health Information and Quality Authority recently initiated a public consultation process on whether the HPV vaccination programme should be extended to include boys.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has now
confirmed his Government is preparing to ‘put in train the procedures’ which are required to extend it to boys.
This follows the State’s health watchdog Hiqa recently publishing a draft report of its Health Technology Assessment which found vaccinating both boys and girls ‘would have considerable benefits’.
A final recommendation on the proposal is due after the conclusion of a public consultation process on the draft HTA. But Mr Varadkar confirmed in recent days the Government is looking ahead to extending the jab’s roll-out.
He was speaking at a Government summer press briefing last week, where he said: ‘I’ve read the Hiqa report, I am glad that we now have it. And Hiqa are recommending that we extend the HPV vaccine to boys, as has been done in quite a number of other jurisdictions.
‘There’s now a public consultation under way about that, which we anticipate will come out in favour of doing it too.’
He said he had spoken with Health Minister Simon Harris about the extension of the potentially life-saving programme to include males.
‘We are going to put in train the procedures needed to introduce that next year, to extend the vaccine to boys next year,’ he said.
But sounding a cautious note, he added: ‘Now, there is a cost associated, obviously, with purchasing the vaccines.
‘We need to negotiate payment with GPs and set up all the logistics around it. But we believe it is the right thing to do, both in terms of reducing incidents of cervical cancer among women into the future, but also HPV infections in men, which give rise to anal cancer, penile cancer, head and neck cancer, which can be particularly nasty. So, I’m glad we have the report and we intend to act on it and make it a reality in 2019.’
The issue, which has been put to a public consultation process, will allow members of the public to make submissions until September 7.
Around 90% of people will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives.
The vaccine protects against a number strains of HPV – the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract which causes a number of conditions in men and women, including a range of cancers, lesions and genital warts.
Other countries have already moved to offer the HPV vaccine on a gender-neutral basis, including Austria, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. And Hiqa’s draft report found that making the free jab gender neutral would cost an additional €10.4million over five years.
Mr Harris has called on people to participate in the consultation process. He said: ‘I requested Hiqa to undertake a HTA to establish the clinical and cost-effectiveness of providing the HPV vaccine to boys. I am very encouraged to hear the Hiqa assessment has found that vaccinating both boys and girls would have considerable health benefits and that it reiterates that the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing infection with HPV.’
The Minister’s latter comment was in reference to scaremongering by some groups that questioned the effects and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, all of which had no scientific basis.
He added: ‘Vaccination teams will return to schools in September to administer the HPV vaccine to girls in first year and I encourage parents to ensure that their daughters receive this important lifesaving vaccine.’
‘Safe and effective’
THIS newspaper fought a lengthy campaign to ensure the HPV vaccine was brought in to protect schoolgirls from developing cervical cancer later on in life. It took 14 months for Mary Harney – then serving as health minister – to reverse her decision to abandon the planned introduction of the scheme on cost grounds. Expert medical opinion indicates that dozens of lives will be saved each year as a result.
But the human papillomavirus is a complex infection. Further research showed that it can also cause men to develop cancer. One result of those findings is that various other countries, including the US, Canada and Australia, now vaccinate boys against the virus as a matter of a course.
Until now, only girls aged 12 or 13 have received the jab during their first year at secondary school in Ireland. But it now emerges that the programme will be extended to boys as of next year.
This is to be very much welcomed. It will, of course, have a hugely beneficial impact on the future health of young males. But given that HPV is transmitted through sexual contact, it will also give further protection to the female population.
To borrow an old phrase, our health is our wealth. So while we should never put a price on the national wellbeing, it is nonetheless worth noting that extending the programme will only cost €10.4million over a five-year period.
When the vaccine was introduced here for girls, there was a high level of uptake initially. Unfortunately, however, that was followed by a slump in figures after unfounded and irresponsible scaremongering. Latest statistics show the number of parents letting their daughters be vaccinated is increasing again. It is to be hoped that as many families as possible also allow their sons to receive the jab.
There isn’t a family in this country that remains untouched by cancer. We need to do everything we can to try to protect ourselves from its many types and strains.
Vaccines are the most obvious and effective answer. So far, they have only been developed for a tiny number of cancerrelated illnesses. It only makes sense to safeguard our youngsters by availing of the ones that are available.