Why Isn't Anyone Giving Boys the HPV Vaccine?

Why Isn’t Anyone Giving Boys the HPV Vaccine? By and large, girls receive a greater number of HPV vaccinations than boys, but the cancers and diseases that the immunization protects against aren’t female-only issues. Every year, men are diagnosed with roughly 7,000 HPV-related cancers, and last year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended all boys ages 11 to 12 be given the protection. But according to a new study out of the Boston University School of Medicine, that’s not happening. Barely any of those doctors that were surveyed were actually offering the vaccine to boys and their families, citing the families’ probable lack of interest. A probable lack of interest when there are 7,000 unnecessary HPV-related cancers a year? Time for that perspective to change, pronto. [American Journal of Men’s Health]