Generation of boys in Leeds 'will miss out on HPV vaccine'
Only Year 8s are getting it from this school year
Last updated 2nd Sep 2019
There are fears a generation of young men in Leeds will miss out on a life-saving vaccine to protect them from cancer.
From this month, all year 8 boys in our city will get the HPV jab in schools for free but teenage boys and young men won't even get offered it on the NHS.
The Teenage Cancer Trust are calling for a catch up programme to cover 12 to 24 year olds - like there was when the vaccine was rolled out for girls.
Leeds mum Jenny Croston survived cervical cancer after being diagnosed in 2014 and has two sons.
She's backing the calls:
"Boys who are older won't be offered the option of the vaccine. If they would like to have the vaccine, then they'll have to pay privately for that. It costs approximately ÂŁ150 per dose. It's leaving basically a generation of young boys exposed to HPV-related cancers.
"Families who perhaps don't have surplus income will be prevented from paying privately just because they can't afford it. ÂŁ150 is a lot of money. There may be some families who have older sons and who are aware of how great the HPV vaccination can be in preventing certain types of cancers but just simply can't afford the vaccinations.
"It seems very unfair that when the vaccination was rolled out for girls, the girls were offered an option to opt in, whereas the boys aren't given that same parity. I have two boys myself and I would like to know they would be properly protected from these types of cancer."
Stats show almost 2 in 5 young people in the North of England wouldn't get the HPV jab if they had to pay privately.
Teenage Cancer Trust Chief Executive, Kate Collins, said:
“The vaccine should be made available for free on the NHS to all men and boys up to the age of 25 who want it, as it is for women and girls.
"While it’s great some boys from this year onwards will have the same protection against HPV-related cancers that teenage girls and women have had for a decade, a generation of teenage boys and young men are being denied that chance.
“Parents of school-age boys may well find one child will get the HPV vaccine for free, whereas an older son will only be protected if they can afford to pay for it. That simply isn’t fair, and the cost of around £150 per dose is unaffordable for many."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
“From this year, we are making the HPV vaccine available to all boys in Year 8. Extending the vaccine to boys aged over 13 would only have a limited benefit as older boys and young men are already protected by herd immunity – built up by 10 years of the girls’ successful vaccination programme.
“Our vaccine programme has led to a significant fall in HPV infections in young women, which will help to prevent cancers in both men and women in years to come.”We've asked the Department of Health for a response."