Gay youths as young as eleven years old may have free access to a vaccine offering protection against a range of cancers and genital warts. The Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee has received advice from health experts that males at greatest risk from the diseases are gay teens and young adults as they receive no "herd immunity" from contact with immunised females. Vaccinations are already provided to girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen years, primarily to ward of cervical cancer. The vaccine also wards off genital warts. Experts say straight males are protected due to sexual contact with vaccinated young women but the same "herd immunity" is not available to gay men. But it is acknowledged that targeting gay youths as young as eleven will be difficult as many boys of this age do not know their sexuality for sure and even older gay youths may be reluctant to declare their sexuality in order to access the vaccine.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 14th July 2013 - 5:41pm