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HPV Vaccination Programme for boys starts Sept
Posted by Schooldays Newshound, on 19/08/2019.
Tags: Parenting Teachers
The HPV vaccine for boys will be rolled out next month with parents being urged to protect their sons from cancer.
There are 3 vaccines offered to children in their first year of secondary school to protect them from infectious diseases.
These are the:
All the vaccines given in the schools' immunisation programme are free.
HPV vaccine for girls and boys
The HPV vaccine has been offered to girls in their first year of secondary school since 2010. This is because the most common cancer caused by the HPV virus is cervical cancer which only affects women.
From September 2019, boys will also be offered the HPV vaccine. This is because HPV can cause cancers and genital warts in boys too.
The more young people vaccinated - both boys and girls - the better we can control the spread of the infection.
Conditions caused by HPV infection
In girls, HPV infection can cause cancer of the:
In boys, HPV infection can cause cancer of the:
HPV infection can also cause genital warts in both girls and boys.
Read more about the cancers caused by HPV that can affect boys.
Vaccine dosage
The HSE school vaccination teams will visit schools twice in students' first year of secondary school.
Boys and girls will get 4 injections in total, 2 at each visit::
One vaccine is given in each arm.
Record of vaccination (immunisation passport)
On the day of vaccination, your child will need to give their immunisation passport to the school vaccination team. The team will add your child’s vaccination details to the immunisation passport and give it back to them so they can bring it home.
If you do not have an immunisation passport, a member of the immunisation team will give one to your child after they have been vaccinated.
Why first-year students get the HPV vaccine
We offer the HPV vaccine to first-year students in secondary school. This is to protect children from HPV before adulthood and likely exposure to HPV.
The vaccine is most effective in young people between 9 and 15 years old compared with older teenagers and young adults.
If you choose to wait until your child is older to get vaccinated, you may need to do this through your GP at your own cost.
If your child is being home-schooled, contact your local health office to get them vaccinated.
The HPV vaccine is long-lasting
The HPV vaccine has been studied for over 13 years. Research to date has shown that the vaccine protection does not weaken over time.
Experts expect protection to last for much longer. This will continue to be studied as new data becomes available every year.
People over 15 getting the HPV vaccine
People over 15 need an extra dose of the HPV vaccine for full protection.
If your child is over 15 when they get their first dose of the HPV vaccine, they will need 3 doses rather than 2.
HPV vaccine for older boys
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) did not recommend a catch-up programme for boys who have already completed the first year of secondary school.
Read the HIQA's report on extending the HPV vaccination to boys.
If you would like your older son to be vaccinated, talk to your GP. You will need to pay for this.
If you have left secondary school
If you have finished secondary school, talk to your GP to get vaccinated at your own cost.
Source: hse.ie
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