Vaccinating boys against the papillomavirus would fight against the development of cervical cancer, and all infections and cancers linked to HPV.
Human papillomaviruses are very common viruses. More than 80% of women get it in their lifetime. Most often benign, they sometimes modify the cells of the cervix. These viruses are mainly transmitted sexually and are most often eliminated naturally. But, in 10% of cases, they persist in the body. They can then be at the origin of precancerous lesions, then cancerous (cervix, vulva, vagina). However, papillomaviruses are also the cause of other cancers and genital warts that affect both sexes. This is why the OFSP and the CFV have carried out a meta-analysis to understand the value of vaccinating boys.
Over the period from 2007 to 2011 in Switzerland, between 79 and 183 men and between 285 and 320 women contracted cancer associated with HPV, according to data from the National Institute for Epidemiology and Cancer Registration (NICER ). The researchers therefore recommend extending the vaccination to boys and young men aged 11 to 26, preferably between 11 and 14, before the onset of sexual activity.
“The risk of persistent HPV infections and associated diseases is significantly higher in men who have sex with men” recalls the FOPH.
Other countries in favor of vaccination
These recommendations confirm the findings published in the journal Cancer in April 2015 from researchers at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center (Toronto, Canada). They revealed that this vaccine would also be effective in boys, because it would prevent oropharyngeal cancers (throat, pharynx, larynx, tongue).
In Great Britain, the Vaccination Commission suggests extending the recommendations for vaccination against the human papillomavirus to homosexuals aged 16 to 40.
Read also:
Cervical cancer: the risks of the vaccine examined
Papillomavirus: a new version of the vaccine even more effective
Teens: no link between the papillomavirus vaccine and risky sexual behavior