Petition The British Medical Association (BMA) seeks HPV vaccination for gay men

If you agree with the BMA -- that a vaccine against HPV should be extended to young gay men -- please sign this petition in order for the government to fulfill this request immediately.

HPV can cause cervical, penile, anal and throat cancers, as well as genital and anal warts.

Data from Australia has shown that heterosexual men gain protection from the virus through herd immunity if women are vaccinated, but no such protection is afforded to gay men.

Last year, the vaccine was changed from Cervarix to Gardasil, which protects against the strains of HPV that cause genital warts as well as those that cause cancers.

Colm O’Mahony and Penelope Toff have written to health minister Anna Soubry in support of the change. The letter also supports offering Gardasil to gay men. The letter suggests administering Gardasil as an add-on vaccination for patients vaccinated against hepatitis B.