Currently only teenage girls, gay men and some transgender people are given the vaccine on the NHS. In Jersey it has been offered to girls aged 12 and 13 since 2008, with a catch-up programme. The oldest women in Jersey to have received the vaccine, which officials say provides protection against the two most common types of HPV that cause more than 74% of cervical cancer cases, are now aged 26.
Officials say current vaccine programmes provide ‘herd protection’ whereby immunising one part of society will also benefit others.
But lawyers acting on behalf of the Throat Cancer Foundation argue that the current vaccination programme in the UK amounts to gender discrimination and breaches the Equality Act 2010.
Some types of the HPV virus are linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, including cancers of the cervix, head and neck, vagina, anus and penis.
The government makes its decisions about vaccinations after receiving advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which Jersey also looks to.
The JCVI made an interim statement on the issue last summer, saying: ‘Adding boys is highly unlikely to be cost effective in the UK where uptake in adolescent girls is consistently high.’
Linda Diggle, head of preventative programmes at Jersey’s Health Department, said it was aware that the issue of extending the vaccine to boys was being considered. She said: ‘We are aware that JCVI are looking at this issue and are awaiting their response.
‘The HPV vaccination programme for girls is aimed at protecting against cervical cancer – and the vaccine does this very successfully. In addition, the evidence shows the vaccine is indirectly protecting others in the population.
‘JCVI is the UK expert advisory group which assesses the evidence and effectiveness of vaccines and in Jersey we look to JCVI for recommendations on vaccination policy.’
