Brook welcomes the decision to extend the national HPV vaccination programme to include boys

Published: 30 July 2018

The HPV vaccination is currently available to all girls as part of the national immunisation programme. Along with the Scottish and Welsh Governments the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has agreed to include adolescent boys in England in the programme, in line with the recommendation of the Joint Council on Vaccination and Immunisation.  

Lisa Hallgarten, Brook Head of Policy and Public Affairs said.

We welcome this decision which will prevent cancer and save lives. We look forward to providing support for the programme, ensuring that everyone understands the benefits of HPV vaccination, and maximising uptake of the vaccination.’ 

We are calling on the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to extend vaccination to boys in Northern Ireland too.

Brook is a member of HPV Action and supports its call for:

• The early publication of an implementation plan for a national rollout at the earliest possible opportunity (September 2019 at the latest).
• A catch-up programme for boys which parallels that available for girls. This would mean that any boy in school years 8, 9, 10 and 11 can be vaccinated.
• The production of information materials targeted at boys, their parents and teachers so that all those involved fully understand the rationale for vaccinating boys.
• A national campaign to maximise vaccine uptake in both sexes with the aim of eliminating the current substantial variations in uptake between local authority areas.

Last month Brook Champions ran an online Have Your Say campaign to raise awareness of the impact of HPV on men. Leah wrote this blog about not getting the vaccine, and the importance of universal HPV vaccination.

You can read our position statement on HPV vaccination here.

Contact

Lisa Hallgarten, Brook, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, lisa.hallgarten@brook.org.uk tel. 07766704367

For media enquiries please contact Brook's press office on 07789 682831 or email press@brook.org.uk

Notes to editors

Brook believes that young people should have access to great sexual health services and wellbeing support.

Brook provides free and confidential sexual health information, contraception, pregnancy testing, advice and counselling, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and education programmes, reaching nearly 235,000 young people nationwide every year.
 
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