40 sites in Jaén will vaccinate teenage boys against papilloma this Wednesday

Health centers in Andalusia will treat all teenage boys in the Autonomous Community this Wednesday without prior appointment against the human papillomavirus (HPV) who do not have previous doses. They must be between 13 and 18 years of age to avoid serious diseases such as genital cancer (anogenital) and head and neck (oral and pharyngeal) cancer.

Until May last year, this vaccine was included in the official vaccination schedule for all teenage girls aged 12 to 18 years with coverage of more than 90%, and from 2023 – for boys aged 12 years and older. The indications for boys were subsequently extended to 18 years of age to cover the entire age group, as detailed in the Council statement.

Tomorrow, in all Andalusian provinces, various vaccination points will appear, both in the morning and in the afternoon. A total of 463 points will be used, of which 310 will be during the daytime. 39 will be in Almeria; 56 in Cadiz; 41 in Cordoba; 36 in Granada; 28 in Huelva; 40 in Jaén; 70 in Malaga and 153 in Seville.

HPV affects both sexes, so getting vaccinated as early as possible during adolescence is important. With a single dose, it is possible to reduce the transmission of the virus and thereby prevent the risk of developing cancer, and also prevent the most common sexually transmitted infection between men and women, and that this infection can become persistent, causing cancer, both at the genital level and on the head-neck level.

HPV is usually acquired through sexual contact (80% of women and men are infected), and in most cases it goes away over time, but in some women (10-15%) it does not go away, leading to a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. It has been noted that in men the prevalence of infection is higher than in women, and HPV persists longer in the mucous membrane, especially the oropharyngeal and anogenital, and can lead to the appearance of cancer in these locations.