Human papillomavirus: men need vaccinating too!
The vaccine against HPV, a sexually-transmitted disease, has been available in France since November 2006, and is recommended and free for young girls of 11 to 14 years old. Those who miss out can also be vaccinated between 15 and 19 years old.
In other words, up until now, the HPV vaccine was only for girls. According to a recently-published report1 from the French National Academy of Medicine, however, it is just as important for boys to be vaccinated in order to eliminate cancers not only of the cervix and anus, but also those affecting the head and neck.
For it should not be ignored that the number of oropharyngeal cancers has been clearly rising since the 70s, despite falling rates of alcohol and tobacco abuse. As a result, countries like Austria and Switzerland have already opted to vaccinate all adolescents, boys and girls.