{"id":41474,"date":"2019-03-21T14:05:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T14:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=41474"},"modified":"2019-03-21T14:05:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-21T14:05:33","slug":"boys-wales-aged-13-18-also-offered-hpv-vaccine-according-leading-sexual-health-charity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/science-environment\/boys-wales-aged-13-18-also-offered-hpv-vaccine-according-leading-sexual-health-charity","title":{"rendered":"Should boys in Wales aged 13 to 18 also be offered the HPV vaccine?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boys between the ages of 12 and 13 in Wales will receive the HPV vaccine from September. However, those above 13 will remain unprotected and a catch-up programme might be needed.<\/h2>\n

\"HPV\"

Boys aged between 12 and 13 in Wales will be eligible for the HPV vaccine starting this coming school year. However, boys over the age of 13 will not be vaccinated.<\/p>\n

Vaccinations will begin in Welsh schools in September in an attempt to prevent anal and penile cancers, but campaigners in Cardiff are calling for a catch-up programme to provide boys aged up to 18 with the vaccine, in order to benefit as many boys as many as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased that the HPV vaccine will be gender neutral this year but it still needs to capture groups who might have missed out,\u201d says Ceri Dunstan, the Policy and Campaigns Officer for sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel that providing the vaccine to all boys until the age of 18 rather than just 12 to 13 year olds is the best way to protect the largest number of boys,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"