Give boys cancer jab as well, say experts

ALL teenage boys would be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted disease that causes some forms of cancer under an extension of a scheme now available to girls, the federal government's expert panel has recommended.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has proposed Gardasil vaccinations, available to all girls to protect against cervical cancer, should be administered to boys to prevent throat and anus cancers triggered by the human papilloma virus (HPV). About 400 cases a year can be attributed to the virus.