HPV vaccination rates for boys in Nova Scotia climbing, province says

Nova Scotia has oneof the best HPV vaccination rates in the country withboys getting the vaccine at the same rate as girls, the province's chief public health officer says.

In 2008, Nova Scotia started offering the vaccine to Grade 7 girls to protect against cancer. In 2015, itexpanded the program to offer it to boys, too.

Strang said he has no official data yet, but frontline reports show boys and girls are getting the vaccine at equal rates.

"We have some of the best coverage rates in the country, if I may brag a little bit. We have 75 to 80 per cent coverage rate for HPV vaccine, which is substantiallybetter than some other provinces," Strang told Information Morning on Tuesday.

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He said evidence shows humanpapillomavirus(HPV)is a cause of cervical, headand neck cancers, and that vaccination can preventthose cancers.

In Canada,girls between ages nine and 13can receive a free HPV immunizationno matter where they live. FourprovincesAlberta, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and P.E.I.alsoofferthe vaccine to boys.

We're naive to think kids at the Grade 7 age aren't starting to become sexually active. This is a way we can actually protect them.- Dr. Robert Strang

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which helps toshapepublic policy,recommended in 2012 that the HPV vaccine should be provided to boys, just as it is to girls.

It's avery effective vaccine,Strangsaid, with studies showing itproduces an immune response against the virus. Detecting an impact on the cancer rate will take years, as the first class of vaccinated Nova Scotians age.

"There are some studies now showing already that we're starting to see some direct impact and decreases in pre-cancerous lesions that can be detected [in] women in their 20s when they start to get regular pap smears," the doctor said.

Starting a conversation

HPV is spread through sexual activityand Strang said that link has created controversy in other parts of Canada, but not in Nova Scotia.

"We haven't had any barriers to getting information out from schools to parents. Whether parents are challenged on this at the family level? That may well be an issue for some, but I'm certainly not aware that it's a major issue that comes out," he said.

He added that no evidence shows getting the vaccineor teaching students from the province's sex guideimpacts sexual activity.

"We're nave to think that kids at the Grade 7 age aren't starting to become sexually active. This is a way we can actually protect them," he said.

"Maybe in doing that we start a conversation about other ways they need to protect themselves to be healthy while they start to understand about sexuality."

The Department of Health and Wellness sends vaccine information to schools, which passit on to parents. Some vaccines are one dose, others are two or three. Two clinics took placein the fall, and the third is happening now.

HPV leads to several cancers

In theabsence of vaccination, about75 per cent of sexually active Canadians will have a sexually transmitted HPV infection in their lifetime, according toNACI.

Two types of HPV cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer in women, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. In men, the virus is responsible for a high percentage of mouth, nose and throat cancers, as well as some cancers of the penis and anus.

• HPV vaccine: The growing campaign for including boys

HPV refers to a group of more than 100types of related viruses,according to the Canadian Cancer Society. It's the most commonly transmitted sexually transmitted infection.