Give HPV jab to primary pupils, urge doctors

CHILDREN should be given the HPV vaccine at primary school, doctors said yesterday. Girls are currently offered it when secondary pupils to protect them against the human papilloma virus behind most cases of cervical cancer.

But doctors say this may already be too late. They are now demanding it is offered at primary level instead – before children are likely to be sexually active.

Delegates at the British Medical Association’s conference in Brighton also said boys should be vaccinated to ensure universal coverage.

Dr Lucy-Jane Davis, who proposed the motion, said: ‘There’s really good evidence that the vaccine works better if you catch people before they are 16 but actually what we need to do is capture them before they have any kind of sexual contact.’