Scientists call for vaccinating boys against HPV to eliminate cervical cancer
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Why boys need to be vaccinated to help eliminate cervical cancer
- A new study suggests that vaccinating boys against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is crucial for eradicating cervical cancer, which currently kills nearly 350,000 women annually.
- Current HPV vaccination programmes in 147 countries primarily target girls, but researchers argue this strategy may be insufficient for complete eradication.
- Scientists developed a mathematical model, detailed in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, to assess the effectiveness of South Korea's current HPV vaccination programme.
- The model indicates that South Korea's policy, which vaccinates 80 per cent of girls aged 12-17, is not enough to eliminate HPV and related cancers.
- To achieve eradication, the study proposes maintaining 80 per cent female vaccination coverage and adding 65 per cent vaccination coverage for boys aged 12-17, which could eliminate HPV-related cancers in South Korea within 60-70 years.