TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Starting this September, Taiwan will expand its government-funded HPV vaccine program to include junior high school boys.

On Monday, Health Promotion Administration Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said the vaccine is an effective measure against HPV-related cancers and diseases, per CNA. Since 2018, the HPA has provided free HPV shots to junior high girls to meet the World Health Organization’s goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030.

According to WHO recommendations, maintaining 90% coverage yields optimal protection. Taiwan’s junior high girls’ vaccination rate has reached as high as 90% in the past two years.

Last year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved expanding the program to include boys, making Taiwan the first East Asian country to vaccinate both genders. With the rollout set for September, an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 boys will receive the free vaccine.

Combined with a sustained 90% rate for girls, roughly 180,000 individuals are expected to be vaccinated this year under a budget of about NT$470 million (US$15.7 million) funded by tobacco surcharges. Public vaccination teams will administer the shots on school campuses and urge all eligible students to participate.

Lou Pei-jen (婁培人), vice superintendent of National Taiwan University Hospital and president of the Taiwan Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, said HPV infection is linked to various cancers, including oropharyngeal, oral, nasopharyngeal and anal cancers. He noted that about 30% to 50% of oropharyngeal cancers in Taiwan are HPV-related, compared with 50% in Japan and 80% in Europe and the US.

A recent domestic study found the prevalence of HPV in the oropharynx of healthy adults in Taiwan is 1.9%, with males at 2.1% and females at 1.6%. Lou recommended expanding vaccinations in the future to high school students, university students and unvaccinated adults.