The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is to be available to middle-school boys free of charge from next year, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said yesterday.
The vaccine, which is already offered to girls, is expected to benefit another 90,000 to 110,000 people at a cost of NT$470 million (US$14.41 million), the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said.
The agency estimated that the vaccines would be administered from September next year.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
It follows an earlier announcement by the Taipei City Government that HPV vaccinations would be extended to eighth-grade boys from September this year.
The vaccine protects against at least 70 percent of high-risk cancers caused by HPV infection, according to the ministry.
The government began free distribution of HPV vaccines to middle-school girls nationwide in 2018.
From 2018 to 2021, the percentage of girls entering school who had completed the two-dose regime rose from 75.2 percent to 91.7 percent, ministry data showed.
Chiu yesterday vowed that the program would be extended to all middle schoolers, regardless of gender.
Speaking to reporters last night, HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said that the program is to be funded through tobacco taxes, pending approval from the Cabinet and legislature.
Based on the previous rollout, Wu estimated that about 80 percent of newly eligible recipients could be vaccinated within a year.
The first dose is typically administered during the first semester of the second year of middle school, followed by the second dose during the second semester, the HPA said.
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