Why not boys? The human papillomavirus vaccine schedule in the UK

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the ethical issues on why boys are not currently included in the human papillomavirus vaccination schedule in the United Kingdom (UK). There is a paucity of literature on the benefits of vaccinating boys (Hull and Caplan, 2009). The current vaccination schedule in the UK for HPV consists of a two-dose quadrivalent vaccination (against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18) for adolescent girls aged 11–13 years old. This is delivered as a school-based programme and is only offered to girls (NHS Choices, 2014; 2015). Currently, boys are not offered the vaccine and there are no plans to do so