Norwegian expert- panel : Boys should get HPV vaccine

Last year Norwegian Public Health (FHI), put together an expert-panel who would look at whether the HPV vaccine should also be introduced for boys in childhood immunisation program. This week the expert-panel delivered it's report to FHI.

The Norwegian expert-panel says the boys should be vaccinated against HPV.

They created an expert-panel consisted of so-called internal and relevant experts, which would examine the question whether the HPV vaccine will be offered free to boys through the Norwegian childhood vaccination program.

FHI will consider the question in January, Dagens Medisin reports.

In 2009 HPV vaccine became a part of Norwegian childhood immunisation program, as a vaccine for girls in the 7th grade.

HVP vaccine recommendation

We deliver our recommendation to the ministry this or next week, says Britt Wolden, director of the vaccine division of FHI to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

An overarching question is why girls, and not boys should be offered the vaccine. Both sexes are exposed to HPV infection and both sexes can get cancer. Boys can infect girls, and they can get another type of cancer, says Wolden.

Photo By Jan Christian @ www.ambrotosphotography.com Photohound [CC BY-SA 2.0, CC BY-SA 2.0 or CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons