A health expert has urged the government to consider expanding the Philippines’ human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program to include boys, saying gender-neutral immunization could provide broader protection against HPV-related cancers while helping curb virus transmission.
Dr. Maria Lorena Santos, past president of the Philippine Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (PIDSOG), said HPV vaccination should not be viewed solely as a preventive measure for girls, as boys and men are also vulnerable to infections and related diseases.
Although HPV is widely associated with cervical cancer, the virus can also cause anal, penile and oropharyngeal cancers, as well as genital warts. Several HPV-related cancers affecting men also lack established routine screening programs, underscoring the role of vaccination in prevention.
The government’s HPV immunization program currently prioritizes girls aged 9 to 14, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Santos said extending vaccination to boys could offer direct protection while potentially reducing HPV transmission across the population.
Quadrivalent HPV vaccines protect against four virus types: 16 and 18, which account for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases worldwide, and 6 and 11, which cause most genital warts.
The WHO supports vaccinating boys where feasible and affordable, provided that doing so does not undermine vaccination coverage among girls or divert resources from cervical cancer screening services.
Expanding the program, however, would require sufficient funding, long-term planning and coordination among national and local governments and healthcare providers, Santos said.
She also stressed that broader vaccination should complement—not replace—cervical cancer screening, including efforts to expand access to HPV DNA testing through self-sampling.
The proposed expansion would broaden the reach of HPV prevention, but its implementation would depend on available resources and the government’s ability to sustain vaccination coverage while maintaining existing screening and prevention services.
