NEW England has one the highest vaccination rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) in girls, but local doctors say boys need to lift their game when it comes to immunisation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
New figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) revealed full-immunisation rates for HPV for 15-year-old females had climbed nationally to about 79 per cent.
Girls of the New England North West are batting above the Australian average, and are close to setting the benchmark, with 82.3 per cent vaccinated.
Boys don't just assist in the spread of HPV through sexual contact. Boys also suffer later in life.
- Dr Casey Sullivan
Meanwhile, only 69.7 per cent of boys in the region have had the three-dose vaccination by the age of 15.
“Boys don't just assist in the spread of HPV through sexual contact.” GP Casey Sullivan said.
“Boys also suffer later in life with penile, rectal, mouth and throat cancers.”
It’s the first time male immunisation rates against HPV have been identified at a local level.
The National HPV vaccination program was only extended to males in 2013 and Dr Sullivan said parents were still more aware of their vaccinations for their daughters rather than their sons.
“We start to be exposed to this virus from our first sexual intercourse,” she said.
“However, if we vaccinate teens before they become sexually active, vaccinations will help reduce cervical cancer in adult women, and help reduce the spread of HPV.”
NSW Health director of communicable diseases Dr Vicky Sheppeard said, while rates were improving 20 per cent of 12 to 13 year-old boys were not vaccinated against HPV
“In NSW, extended catch-up vaccinations are offered to students who commence, but do not complete, the three-dose course of HPV vaccine in Year 7,” Dr Sheppeard said.
Nationally, the percentage of girls fully immunised at age 15 has continued to improve, from 72% in 2012–13, to about 74% in 2013–14, and almost 79% in 2014–15.
The AIHW report is the first to include local-level HPV immunisation rates for boys.
It showed that nationally, more than two-thirds of boys aged 15 were fully immunised in 2014–15, while rates across Primary Health Network areas ranged from about 57% to 78%.
“HPV immunisation rates are a bit lower for boys than for girls, but the program is newer for boys and rates are expected to improve over time,” AIHW spokesperson Michael Frost said.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
