A vaccine against HPV should be extended to young gay men, the BMA has told the Department of Health.
HPV can cause cervical, penile, anal and throat cancers, as well as genital and anal warts. Data from Australia has shown that heterosexual men gain protection from the virus through herd immunity if women are vaccinated, but no such protection is afforded to gay men. Last year, the vaccine was changed from Cervarix to Gardasil, which protects against the strains of HPV that cause genital warts as well as those that cause cancers. The BMA has suggested administering Gardasil as an add-on vaccination for patients vaccinated against hepatitis B.
