Aussie boys to get Gardasil
July 13, 2012
BOYS will soon be able to get the
Gardasil vaccine through school-based
programs under the National
Immunisation Program.
Announced this week, the
initiative will see the Federal
Government fund the vaccine for
12 and 13-year-old boys to protect
them against developing a range of
cancers and bolster the
effectiveness of the vaccine in
women.
In addition, boys in Year 9 will
also be able to get the vaccine at
school under a catch-up program
for the next two years.
According to the Department of
Health, it is estimated that a
quarter of new infections will be
avoided by extending the vaccine
to boys.
“By building on Australia’s worldclass
immunisation program, we’re
stopping preventable HPV related
disease and cancers, and that
makes a difference to the quality of
life of our families,” said the
Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek.
“Already the HPV vaccine has had
an impact – significantly reducing
the number of lesions that lead to
cervical cancer amongst women in
the vaccinated age group,” she
added.
The announcement follows a
recommendation by the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory
Committee last year that the HPV
vaccination program be extended
to boys following a review of its
cost effectiveness.
The HPV vaccination program for
boys is expected to cost $21.1
million over four years, with this
cost set to include an information
campaign, a vaccine register and
monitoring of adverse reactions.
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