ISLE of Wight boys aged 12 and 13 are due to receive the HPV vaccine from September in a bid to cut cancer deaths.

The vaccine has been offered to girls nationally, for free on the NHS, since 2008. Since then, some types of HPV (human papilloma virus) infections have reduced by 86 per cent.

It will now be rolled out in schools to boys in Year 8.

Around five per cent of cancers are linked to the HPV virus, including cervical, penile, anal and genital cancers and some cancers of the head and neck – all of which the vaccine helps to protect against.

It is hoped the vaccine programme will prevent more than 64,000 cervical cancers and nearly 50,000 non-cervical cancers by 2058.

Clare Simpson, screening and immunisation lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: “This universal programme offers us the opportunity to make HPV-related diseases a thing of the past and build on the success of the girls’ programme.

“Offering the vaccine to boys will not only protect them but will also prevent more cases of HPV related cancers in girls and reduce the overall burden of these cancers in both men and women in the future."

Public Health Minister Seema Kennedy said: "The success of the HPV vaccine programme for girls is clear and by extending it to boys we will go a step further to help us prevent more cases of HPV-related cancer every year.

“Through our world-leading vaccination programme, we have already saved millions of lives and prevented countless cases of terrible diseases. Experts predict that we could be on our way toward eliminating cervical cancer for good."

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