One man in five dies before the age of 65.
TOGETHER we can change that.

Reverse the decision on HPV vaccination

19/07/17 . News

The government's vaccination advisory committee (JCVI) decision has today published 'interim findings' that it is 'unable to recommend extension of the national HPV programme to adolescent boys'. 

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection that can cause a range of cancers (cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, and oral) as well as genital warts.  Girls aged 12 and 13 have been offered vaccination against HPV since 2008, as part of a drive to tackle cervical cancer rates.

Martin Tod, Chief Executive of the Men's Health Forum, commented:

Over 2,000 men are diagnosed with an HPV-related cancer every year. While vaccinating girls reduces HPV infections in men and boys in the long-term, it doesn't protect men who have sex with unvaccinated women - the overwhelming majority! - or men who have sex with men. 

This is a fundamental question of health equality. Both sexes need the best protection against HPV infection and the cancers that can result from it. Even today, one UK man in five dies under the age of 65: we can't afford not to be doing our absolute utmost to cut preventable deaths from cancer.

When Government Ministers take the final decision, they need to take a broader view, fully account both for the health equality question at the heart of this decision and the urgent need to improve men's health, and reverse the JCVI's recommendation.

We will be making the strongest possible representations on this issue to both the JCVI and the Department of Health.

The JCVI is re-opening its consultation for six weeks until the end of August 2017. All responses should be sent to: jcvi-consultation@phe.gov.uk.  They have also referred the issue of equality of access to the Department of Health for consideration.

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The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

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Charity registered in England and Wales (no. 1087375). Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 4142349).