July 2018: The Words:
“UK Government advisers have recommended extending funding for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to boys.
The HPV vaccine was previously offered to girls aged 12 to 13, with the new recommendation meaning 400,000 boys will also benefit every year.
‘The JCVI’s advice that boys should be vaccinated is very welcome news for boys and their parents,’ HPV Action campaign director, Peter Baker, said.
‘It will also benefit those girls who, for whatever reason, have not been vaccinated against HPV.”
December 2018: The Reality:
Steve Brine MP has said there will be no catch-up HPV vaccine programme for boys.
In a letter to the shadow public health minister Sharon Hodgson, he argues boys will benefit from ‘herd protection’.
However, the BDA believes up to 2 million boys will remain unprotected from HPV without a catch-up vaccine programme.
‘The latest data on vaccinations among girls illustrates precisely why we’ve needed a gender-neutral approach,’ Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association (BDA), said.
‘It also shows why penny pinching on a catch-up programme will leave many school-aged boys unprotected.
‘There can be no guarantees of “herd protection” when nearly one in five girls are missing out on the vaccine.
‘A catch-up programme remains the best way to protect all our children from this cancer-causing virus.’
….and many still believe that this bunch will come up with a fairer NHS Dental Contract.
