Grade 6 boys in Manitoba will now get HPV vaccine

WINNIPEG – Starting next September, grade six Manitoba boys will get the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Previously just girls received the shot because of the connection between HPV and cervical cancer, but it can affect men as well.

Schools throughout the province will now offer the vaccine for free to boys in grade nine.

Manitoba’s Chief Public Health Officer Michael Routledge said the vaccine is most effective for boys and girls in grade six .

Routledge also said parents will need to give consent for their kids to receive the shot.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease found in men and women which can turn into cancer and can spread from skin-to-skin contact.