Doctors pay for HPV Vaccine to protect sons

19.05.2018 Category: General Health Author: Dr Richard Dawood

HPV vaccine unavailable to boys on the NHS

The HPV vaccine is now offered to girls aged 12-18 years in the UK for free by the NHS.

Since its introduction in 2008, it has already shown to be very effective in reducing the cases of cervical cancer in females*. But the HPV virus doesn’t only cause cervical cancer, it can lead to other cancers such as anal, head, neck and throat cancers. Men are as much at risk of these cancers as women, so why are boys ineligible to receive the HPV vaccine as part of the NHS vaccination schedule?

The BBC has reported the case of Jamie Rae today, to highlight the issue. Mr Rae is campaigning for the HPV vaccine to be introduced, after undergoing radiotherapy for his throat cancer which he believes could have been prevented if an HPV vaccine had been available.

The article also reports that Professor Francis Vaz, a head and neck surgeon at University College London Hospital, paid privately to vaccinate his three sons, to protect them from certain cancers like anus, penis, mouth and throat. He said he saw on a daily basis that cancers driven by the HPV virus had been increasing in the past decade.

“I regularly see the bad end of that spectrum, so I thought the vaccination would be suitable for my sons,”

– he said.

“It’s just unfortunate it wasn’t available for them on the NHS. I was happy to pay for it because I think it’s a good vaccine.”

Why boys should receive the HPV vaccine

  • About 15% of UK girls eligible for vaccination are currently not receiving both doses, a figure which is much higher in some areas
  • Most older women in the UK have not had the HPV vaccination
  • Men may have sex with women from other countries with no vaccination programme
  • Men who have sex with men are not protected by the girls’ programme
  • The cost of treating HPV-related diseases is high – treating anogenital warts alone in the UK is estimated to cost £58m a year, while the additional cost of vaccinating boys has been estimated at about £20m a year

Source: HPV Action

Our HPV vaccine page explains how get an HPV vaccine at Fleet Street Clinic.

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*International Journal of Women’s Health