Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / HEALTH
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Health Contents:  Medical notes

Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 14:29 GMT

Teens 'could get range of jabs'

Vaccine Teenagers could be given a raft of vaccines to protect them against conditions ranging from chicken pox to cancer, experts have said.

A decision is due on whether teenagers should be immunised against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, which can cause cervical cancer.

But Professor Adam Finn said there were other jabs which could benefit teens.

And he said issues over informed consent and parental control had to be addressed.

"People are going to have to engage with adolescents "
Professor Adam Finn, University of Bristol

At the moment, young children are the focus of virtually all vaccination campaigns.

Targeting adolescents, particular for jabs which would protect against sexually transmitted infections, would be more controversial.

They are currently only offered a booster to the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) they received in childhood.

Although the government's expert advisors have not yet reached a decision, HPV is likely to be offered to 11 and 12-year-old girls.

But, in addition to HPV, teenagers could be given:

There is also work going on to develop a vaccine against genital herpes.

'Growth area'

Professor Finn, who is based at the University of Bristol, said that the number of teenage vaccinations would increase over the next 10 years.

"Not all adolescents will be offered all the vaccines, but we need to be prepared.

"Up to now all our efforts at promoting the positive impact of vaccination have tended to focus on parents.

"Now we have a completely different ball game with teenagers, notorious for being strong willed and not always deferring to their parents, having to make up their own minds about vaccination.

"To avoid the issue becoming a battle-ground, we urgently need to kick-start a national debate involving schools, public health experts, parents and, most importantly, involving teenagers themselves."

He added: "For the next 10 years, while we will continue to think about how best to vaccinate babies, the real growth area will be vaccinating adolescents.

"People are going to have to engage with adolescents and sort out what the teenagers want."

Dr Claire Cameron, of the Health Protection Scotland, said parents were not against their children being immunised against sexually transmitted diseases - if they were given the right information.

"If you provide the information, you get high rates of acceptability."

She said a study in Glasgow in 2001-02, which looked at attitudes to the Hepatitis B vaccine, found 92% of parents were happy for their children to be given the jab - even though the disease is generally contracted through sex and drug users sharing needles.

The study targeted 11,000 11 and 12-year-olds.

Dr Loretta Brabin, a women's health specialist at the University of Manchester, said parents would have to come to terms with the fact that their teenage children would have a say over whether or not they had a jab.

Doctors would also have to ensure they were giving informed consent.

She said: "The more vaccines are targeted at adolescents, the more these issues will come up."




E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Gay men seek 'female cancer' jab (23 Feb 07 |  Health )
Cancer jab plea for girls aged 11 (06 Oct 06 |  Health )
Chicken pox: a jab too far? (31 Jul 02 |  Breakfast )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Health Protection Scotland
University of Bristol
Immunisation information
University of Manchester
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Health Contents:  Medical notes

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©