Extending HPV vaccine to boys is common sense
Labour Party Health spokesperson Alan Kelly has welcomed the recommendation by HIQA to extend the HPV vaccine to boys.
Deputy Kelly said:
“The decision by HIQA to extend the HPV vaccine to boys is most welcome. Providing the HPV vaccine will protect boys and girls indirectly from HPV related diseases.
“The Labour Party has been leading the campaign on extending the HPV vaccine to young boys and we have worked hard to ensure cross-Party support and political will to providing the vaccine to boys.
“Earlier this year, the Dáil passed my motion to fully back the current HPV vaccine programme and to extend this initiative to teenage boys.
“At this stage it is necessary that the vaccine be extended to boys in first year of secondary school, because they can also develop HPV associated cancers in later life, such as oropharyngeal cancer, penile cancer and genital warts in men and women.
“Extending the HPV vaccine to boys is a common-sense, evidence based measure which is already in place in countries like Australia.
“No doubt the recommendations by HIQA will be rubbished by the usual quarters but the facts cannot be ignored and we must trust the findings of medical professionals. We should challenge misinformed and lazily researched comments on the HPV vaccines to ensure that a misinformation campaign isn’t allowed to gain momentum.
“I look forward to the Minister for Health announcing that the HPV vaccine will be rolled out to boys at the start of the next school year.”