The province has announced it will extend the free HPV immunizations to Grade 6 boys.
The Provincial Medical Health Officer says the immunization has proven to be just as effective in preventing HPV-related cancers in males as it is in females.
Jenny Byford, with the Canadian Cancer Society in BC says the incidence of throat and mouth cancer has increased in men over the last 20 years. Byford says it’s something the organization has been advocating for since last spring.
The immunization is given in two doses to boys and girls in Grade 6.
