The Minister of Universal Health and Public Health, Miguel Mínguez, has announced that the Valencian Community will begin administering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to children as of October 1. Until now, it was included in the vaccination calendar only for 12-year-old girls.
“The Valencian Community thus becomes one of the first autonomies to include vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in boys. It is a measure that seeks to guarantee and extend protection against HPV infection in both boys and girls”, said Mínguez.
The extension of vaccination also to boys, adds the minister, “is based on evidence and recommendations from scientific societies and international organisations that advocate this measure to help reduce infection by the human papillomavirus and, in this way, reduce the incidence of tumours related to it, especially cervical cancer in women, but also other less prevalent tumours in men”.
In addition, HPV infection can cause genital warts, so vaccination against this disease will also help control it.
According to this scientific evidence, the HPV vaccine is going to be included in the Valencian Community in the vaccination calendar for boys at the age of 12 years. Therefore, the first to receive it, starting next month, will be the children born in 2010: first, those born in January 2010, then February 2010, March 2010, and so on. Two doses will be given 6-12 months apart, and will be administered at health centres.
