Alberta will be the second province in Canada to include boys in its in-school HPV vaccination campaign.
The vaccination to protect against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection that has been linked to cervical and several other types of cancer, will expand to include boys in Grade 5 and Grade 9 in the fall of 2014.
Prince Edward Island was the first province to implement a school program for male students.
“Expanding the HPV immunization program will mean both boys and girls will be protected from HPV-related cancers,” said Health Minister Fred Horne.
“Our investments today will reduce health-care costs tomorrow – and most importantly, prevent future cases of cancer in Alberta.”
It is estimated that 70 per cent of adults will contract HPV at some point in their lives.
“Immunization is a safe and effective way to ensure that cancer does not develop in the majority of those people,” said Dr. James Talbot, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health.
The government said the HPV vaccine is almost 100 per cent effective in preventing the two types of HPV infections that cause 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
The virus is the main cause of head and neck cancers and has also been linked to rectal cancers.
The vaccination program expansion comes after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which reviews scientific literature on vaccines, supported vaccinating boys in a submission to the Public Health Agency of Canada last year.
Grade 9 boys will be given the shots next fall as part of a four-year catch-up program.
The HPV vaccine has been available to girls since 2008. Since then, approximately 61 per cent of Grade 5 and Grade 9 girls have been given the shot.
Talbot said immunizing boys will in turn reduce the stigma of the vaccine.
“It will provide added impetus to protecting girls since it will normalize immunization for HPV the same as we do for all other vaccine campaigns,” he explained.
The vaccine sparked a faith debate amongst Catholic school boards around the province, including St. Albert. Some who oppose vaccinating young children believe the practice represents implicit permission for young people to engage in premarital sex, which goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“Studies have been done to examine the question about whether or not offering the vaccine leads to more teen pregnancies, leads to more unprotected sex and the answer to that question is no, it does not,” countered Talbot.
Greater St. Albert Catholic school board trustees allowed the vaccinations in 2008, stating that it is a health issue rather than a moral one.
The vaccination program is voluntary and parents must consent for their child to receive the shot.
Talbot said the province has seen increasing buy-in from school boards.
“We’re hopeful that the trend will continue,” Talbot noted. “We urge every family and every school board to look at making it as easy as possible to make the healthy choice. This is a choice that if made now will pay off for their children into the future.”
More Albertans aged 35 to 64 will die from cancer than from heart disease, stroke, other circulatory disorders, infectious disease and accidental injury combined.
The program expansion will cost the province an estimated $11 million.
