Cancer-busting HPV vaccine will be offered to all boys across UK from September
HPV doesn't just up your risk of cervical cancer - men can be at risk of mouth and penile cancers too
BOYS across the UK will be offered HPV vaccine to protect them against various cancers this year.
Northern Ireland officials today announced 12-13-year-olds will be offered the jab, and from September - following England, Scotland and Wales.
By immunising boys as well as girls, the hope is that the number of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer cases will fall dramatically in the future.
Girls have been given the jab at school since 2008 but boys in England are due to start having them from September too.
According to HPV Action Jabs for the Boys, 5 per cent of cancers are caused by the HPV virus.
200 types of HPV
Last week, experts said that giving all schoolgirls the HPV jab cuts cervical cancer risk by up to 89 per cent.
Vaccinating at 12 or 13 is best — as women given it at 17 see the dangers fall by just 51 per cent.
Boys weren't initially offered the jab because there wasn't much evidence to suggest that the virus could cause cancer in men. It tends to be associated with cervical cancer in particular.
HPV can cause cancer in men
But we now know for sure that HPV causes many cases of cancer in men (e.g anus, mouth and throat), as well as genital warts.
Most people with HPV don’t know they’re infected and there are no symptoms.
In fact, most will never develop a health problem as a result.
Condoms on their own reduce the risk but can’t prevent HPV infection completely.
Condoms don't always protect against it
This is because HPV can infect parts of the body not covered by a condom and can be passed on without having penetrative sex.
The majority of women under 25 who have grown up in the UK have already been vaccinated against the virus.
The prevalence of the two most dangerous cancer-causing HPV types have already been reduced by 80 per cent in the UK.
What is HPV and how is it linked to cancer?
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a type of virus that infects the skin and the cells lining body cavities.
For most people, the infection will get better on its own and they will never know they had it.
Sometimes it causes genital warts or little swellings like verrucas.
It's so common that 80 per cent of people will be infected at some point in their lives and the vast majority won't have any symptoms.
It's spread through intercourse or oral sex.
Although there are hundreds of types of the virus, only around 13 can cause cancer.
Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV.
Cancers linked to HPV:
- cervical
- mouth
- throat
- vagina
- vulva
- penis
- anus
- tonsil
- tongue
Source:
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride, said: "We can now look forward to a future where we can be even more confident that we will reduce cervical cancer and other HPV related cancers that affect both men and women.
"This is an effective vaccine against a, particularly harmful virus. I would encourage all parents to take up this offer and ensure their boys and girls are vaccinated.";
A new bowel cancer test is also being rolled out
Health officials in Northern Ireland have also decided to role out the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) as a primary screening test for bowel cancer in the country.
It'll replace the current Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) test.
The new test won't come into force until next year.
In January 2016, the UK National Screening Committee recommended that quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) should be adopted by the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) as the primary screening test for bowel cancer.
It's hoped that the introduction of this new test will increase the numbers of people getting tested in Northern Ireland.
Department of Health permanent secretary Richard Pengelly said health protection clearly benefits the public.
"Both decisions have been under active consideration for some time and can now be made, following confirmation of the department's budget allocation for this year," he said.
Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of : “We are delighted that the Department of Health has finally committed to roll out the new, potentially more accurate Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in Northern Ireland from 2020, meaning that all four nations of the UK will now have access to this lifesaving test.
"Bowel Cancer UK, in collaboration with other charities, have long called for this announcement as the new screening test is a game-changer for bowel cancer.
MORE ON CANCER
“It has the potential to detect thousands more cancers earlier, meaning we can save more lives from Northern Ireland’s second biggest cancer killer.
“We look forward to working closely with the Northern Ireland government and other health bodies to ensure an optimal screening programme is delivered in Northern Ireland.”
Currently in Northern Ireland if you’re registered with a GP and aged 60-74, you will receive a Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) in the post every two years. Using the cardboard sticks provided, you will be asked to provide two small samples of poo onto a special screening card. You will need to do this three times over a 10 day period. The test looks for hidden blood in your poo, which could be an early sign of bowel cancer.
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