>THE HPV VACCINE IN ONTARIO

In Ontario, female-only HPV vaccination programs began in 2007, largely as a way to prevent cervical cancer, the second most common type of cancer in women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. (The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 1,450 Canadian women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 380 women will die of it this year.) In 2012, a catch-up program was introduced to high school girls who had not received the shots in Grade 8. When it comes to HPV vaccination coverage rates, Ontario is on par with the rest of the country at 70 per cent, according to the most recent data from 2011-2012. That’s below the 90 per cent target Ottawa hoped the program would reach within five years of implementation, but figures have been gradually rising. By comparison, the rate was 59 per cent in 2009. It’s not known how many boys have received the vaccine from a doctor because there’s no immunization registry in Ontario. Officials keep track of how many girls have gotten the shots through the school-based system.

Isabel Teotonio