Since 2008, girls aged 12 and 13 in the UK began to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to help prevent cervical cancer. This has been carried out through a school-based programme and has been highly successful in raising the public profile and improving awareness of cervical cancer, as well as saving many thousands of lives.

But this does not tell the whole story of the HPV vaccine.

Many people are unaware that in addition to cervical cancer, HPV also causes mouth, penile and anal cancers, and also genital warts. Young women in the UK are now protected by the vaccination, but not giving it to boys of the same age is putting millions of lives at risk.

We are an active campaigner for a gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme, member of HPV Action and are on the expert advisory committee for Jabs for the Boys, in order to raise awareness of the virus and extend the vaccine to British males.  

The human papillomavirus (HPV)

The Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a group of viruses which affect the moist membranes within the body, such as within the mouth and genital areas. There are over 100 different types of HPV and only a few types have the ability to infect the genital or mouth area and turn cancerous.

HPV is a disease which almost all sexually active people will get at some stage of their lives, thankfully there are many different forms of the disease and most people will not have any problems related to it, but for a significant portion of unlucky people, it may lead them developing cancer.

The current vaccine protects against the HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, types 16 and 18 are the primary cause of cervical cancer in women and they are also associated with cancers of the vagina, throat, penis and anus.

HPV is now responsible for 5% of all world cancers and is one of the leading causes of mouth cancer.

It is also predicted to overtake traditional causes of mouth cancer, such as smoking and drinking alcohol to excess, within the next decade.

Countries including Australia, Canada and the USA have already deemed a full programme both cost effective and successful in addressing other social and ethical issues, yet men in the UK remain unprotected.

Jabs for the Boys

Jabs for the Boys is a new campaign which aims to address the pressing need for greater awareness about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its potential impact on millions of British men and boys every year.

At a time when there is no national vaccination programme, Jabs for the Boys offers advice and guidance to the parents of boys, boys themselves and adult men about the pros and cons of HPV vaccination to help make the decision about whether to have the vaccination privately.

All the information in this website is based on the best-possible evidence and has been checked by medical and other experts. It has also been compiled in line with NHS England Information Standard guidance.

Visit www.jabsfortheboys.uk for more information.

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Useful information:

• HPV information for boys

• HPV information for parents

• HPV information for straight men

• HPV information for men who have sex with men

• HPV information for health professionals