Gay men to be offered HPV vaccine to protect against cancer

Update: We originally reported that the HPV vaccine will now be offered to gay men under the age of 45 in the UK – the vaccine will in fact only be offered to such men in Wales.

The government has announced that gay men under the age of 45 will be offered the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination to protect against certain forms of cancer.

Currently in the UK, adolescent girls are given the vaccine to prevent them from contracting the sexually transmitted virus, which can lie dormant for years and lead to aggressive forms of cancer. They are then protected for life against the virus, as is any man or woman who has sex with them.

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However, this so-called ‘herd immunity’ doesn’t apply to gay men, who remain at high risk of contracting the virus due to not having sexual contact with women, and HPV has been linked to higher rates of penile, anal, head and neck cancers in gay men.

Other countries around the world including Australia and America have taken steps to vaccinate both men and women against the virus.

Health minister Mark Drakeford has now announced that a targeted programme for sexually active gay men under 45 will be introduced in Wales following the recommendation of Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

“Men who have sex with men are a group who receive little indirect protection from the highly-successful HPV vaccination programme for adolescent girls,” he said.

“I’m pleased to announce that I have approved the introduction of a new targeted HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men up to the age of 45.

“We will now give careful consideration about how this programme will be delivered and will make a further announcement in due course.”

TV doctor Max Pemberton previously accused the British government of “letting gay men die” by refusing to offer them the vaccine, saying it was an example of “institutional homophobia” under which gay men lose out.

The JCVI will now consider whether to offer the HPV vaccine to all adolescent boys, with a decision expected in early 2017.

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