Local schools to offer male students HPV vaccine
This fall, parents in the Battlefords will have an opportunity to vaccinate their children in Grade 6 for the human papillomavirus (HPV).
The vaccine will be available for students in the Living Sky School Division, Light of Christ Catholic School Division and the Northwest School Division in Meadow Lake. As in other regions, the vaccine is available with parental consent and is administered through public health.
In the latest budget, the province announced it would provide $750,000 per year to expand the program to include male students. The vaccine has been available to girls since 2008.
“We are really excited about that because in Saskatchewan we have one of the most comprehensive vaccination programs in Canada and the world,” Dr. Saqib Shahab, Chief Health Medical Officer with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said in an interview provided by the province. “Having the vaccination program for boys will just make our program fully inclusive of both boys and girls for the HPV vaccine.”