Entreating urgent change

Campaigners believe the current vaccination programme is fundamentally flawed and have called on MP’s to extend the current vaccination programme, which currently only vaccinates girls, to include boys as well.

Keynote speaker Peter Baker, campaign director of HPV Action, addressed the attending dignitaries and highlighted the importance of urgent changes in policy.

Peter said: “We calculate that HPV is responsible for over 2,000 new cases of cancer in men each year in the UK. This includes over 1,400 cases of oral cancer.

“Even though the current vaccination programme for girls will protect some boys, it will only protect those who have sex with vaccinated women. Many more will have sex with women who have not been vaccinated, whether in the UK or in other countries without a vaccination programme or where uptake levels of vaccination are poor.

“Men who have sex with men are also completely unprotected by the current vaccination programme. It cannot be right to withhold an effective health intervention from a group of people just on the grounds of their sex, HPV affects both sexes and both sexes should be equally protected.