HPV vaccine is said to be effective in preventing cancer and diseases related to HPV (human papillomavirus). In Japan, public subsidies began to be provided to children aged 13 to 16 at the end of fiscal year 2010, and in April 2013, routine vaccinations began for girls in the sixth grade of elementary school through the first year of high school. After that, in consideration of experts’ investigations into side effects and the spread and results in each country, the study ended in November 2021 with the decision to refrain from actively recommending the HPV vaccine.
Why is that and what is the situation? Writer Naoko Ota, the mother of a 20-year-old boy, spoke to Dr. Shigemi, an obstetrician and gynecologist who focuses on supporting the health of young people, including HPV vaccines for boys, adolescent medical care, and sex education.
Somewhere I thought it was a “girl problem”
In fact, there is no doubt that the HPV vaccine is a vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, and there is a history that has been talked about for many years.
Gender is not something that is unilaterally given or taken away, but rather lies within the “relationship between men and women that protects each other.” I started to think that the HPV vaccine was not just a vaccine to protect girls, but also a vaccine for boys to protect themselves and their future partners.
Despite this, during this interview, I learned for the first time that in Toshima Ward, where I live, subsidies for HPV vaccines for boys will begin in 2022. My son was born in March 2007, and when the system started, he was just “the equivalent of a first-year high school student.” Even though he had done so, there was no notification from the school, and it had never been talked about among the boy’s parents. Compared to families with girls who receive routine vaccinations, it is far more difficult for information to reach families with boys.
When I talked to people around me, many mothers of girls said, “After thinking about it for a while, I missed the vaccination period,” and many mothers of boys said, “Huh? It’s only for girls, right?” and “It’s a vaccine for cervical cancer, right?”