Action launched on HPV for boys

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A new group has called on the Government to act immediately to safeguard the health of half the population, a move that could also have widespread oral health benefits.

HPV Action (HPVA) have finalised a petition calling on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP to introduce the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for boys and protect them against one of the few cancer varieties on the increase.

Experts have forecast that the HPV, often transmitted via oral sex, will overtake tobacco use as the main risk factor for mouth cancer within the next decade. Around one in five cases of mouth cancer are predicted to be as a result of HPV. Cases of mouth cancer have doubled in the last 30 years, yet our awareness and understanding of the virus is alarmingly low. This coincides with the rise of HPV, and strengthens the argument that there is not enough awareness of the risks we take when we have unprotected sex.

Reducing the prevalence of HPV could also help to improve general oral health. A study published in Cancer Prevention Research1, showed the human papillomavirus (HPV), transmitted via oral sex, was found to be associated with gum disease, tooth loss and other dental problems.

The study found those who said they had poor oral health had more than twice the number of HPV infections (56 per cent), a number similar to those who had gum disease (51 per cent). The research also pointed to a link between HPV and the number of teeth lost.

Mouth cancer campaigners the British Dental Health Foundation have backed HPV Action’s calls for boys to start receiving the jab, and Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, urged the Government to re-think their current position.

Dr Carter said: “The British Dental Health Foundation has for many years been a passionate advocate of male vaccination against HPV. Mouth cancer cases have increased by 50 per cent since the millennium and much if this increase can be attributed to HPV. Twice as many males as females suffer from mouth cancer a condition which has both poor survival rates and huge impact on quality of life for sufferers. Fairness and equity would indicate a strong case for make vaccination and help to reduce the impact if male cancers caused by HPV.

“The HPV vaccination of young men has already started in Austria, Australia and the USA, and the British Dental Health Foundation is calling for the same to happen in the UK. A wealth of evidence and opinion in the USA suggests a population-wide HPV vaccination programme is now the best solution, both for general public health and financial reasons.”

Peter Baker, HPV Action’s Campaign Director said: “For a cost equivalent to footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary, about £24 million a year, we can protect 367,000 boys a year against the future risk of a range of cancers as well as the very common problem of genital warts. Vaccinating girls alone is not enough to tackle HPV. Men can still get the virus HPV from unvaccinated women from the UK and other countries or from other men. It is simply unfair to deny boys in the UK the same level of protection as girls or as boys in Australia and other countries where both sexes are now routinely vaccinated. HPV vaccination is one of the easiest ways of preventing cancer.”

To sign the petition, please visit http://www.change.org/petitions/jeremy-hunt-uk-health-secretary-introduce-hpv-vaccination-for-boys-to-stop-many-preventable-cancers-3. Alternatively you can donate to support HPV Action’s work via www.justgiving.com/HPVAction