One million teenage boys are denied HPV vaccine that can prevent cancer, sparking fears of a ‘missing generation’ who are not protected from the virus
- More than a million boys missed out on HPV jab and cannot get vaccine on NHS
- The jab will now be rolled out to 11 to 13-year-old boys in Year 8 this school year
- The Teenage Cancer Trust says there will be an unprotected ‘missing generation’
- Campaigners warn the ‘missing’ boys and men cannot get vaccine on the NHS
Published: 20:04 EDT, 1 September 2019 | Updated: 03:56 EDT, 2 September 2019
A million teenage boys are being denied a vaccine that prevents cancer, campaigners have warned.
The jab protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), linked to one in 20 cancers – including cervical, anal and head and neck cancer.
Teenage girls have received the vaccine since 2008 and it will now be rolled out to 11 to 13-year-old boys in Year 8 this school year.
The Teenage Cancer Trust says there will now be a ‘missing generation’ who are not protected from the virus. Teenage girls have received the vaccine since 2008 [File photo]
But this still leaves more than a million boys and men up to the age of 25 unable to get a vaccine on the NHS. It would cost them around £150 per dose.
The Teenage Cancer Trust says there will now be a ‘missing generation’ who are not protected from the virus.
Kate Collins, of the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: ‘While it’s great some boys will have the same protection against HPV-related cancers that teenage girls and women have had for a decade, a generation are being denied that chance.’
The jab protects against the human papillomavirus (HPV), linked to one in 20 cancers – including cervical, anal and head and neck cancer [File photo]
