The Department of Health has announced it will use the vaccine Cervarix, produced by GlaxoSmithKline to protect girls from the human papillomavirus (HPV).
But both fpa and Brook said it was a missed opportunity to treat other infections like genital warts.
Julie Bentley, chief executive of fpa said: “Genital warts is the second most common sexually transmitted infection in the UK after chlamydia. Selecting the Gardasil vaccine would’ve been a huge preventative measure in terms of health and financial costs to the NHS.”
Brook chief executive Simon Blake added: “It is a shame that the Government decided not to take the opportunity to also protect young women against viruses HPV 6 and 11, the types that cause genital warts, this would have offered further protection for young people.”
The vaccine will be available to girls aged 12 to 13 from September 2008 and from September 2009 it will be given to girls aged up to 18 in a catch-up programme.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
