HPV Action (HPVA) is a collaborative partnership of 51 patient and professional organisations that are working to reduce the health burden of HPV. Between 2013 and 2018, HPVA delivered an advocacy campaign that succeeded in achieving gender-neutral HPV vaccination. This means that all boys and girls in the UK will be routinely offered vaccination against HPV at the age of 12/13 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and at 11/12 in Scotland.
HPVA is now working to ensure the introduction of a catch-up vaccination programme for boys. This would ensure that boys who are too old to be vaccinated as part of the main vaccination programme are still offered protection against HPV infection before they are 18. Most of these boys could be vaccinated at school or college.
HPVA's work is co-ordinated by its Campaign Director, Peter Baker, Director of Global Action on Men's Health and former CEO, Men's Health Forum (GB).
HPVA's advocacy work is funded almost entirely by its own members and not by any organisation with a financial interest in HPV vaccination for boys. A few small donations have also been made by individuals and Proctor and Gamble kindly donated a total of £4,170.00.
The development of HPVA's Jabs for the Boys website was largely supported by a ring-fenced educational grant from MSD. A smaller amount of funding was also provided by the Mouth Cancer Foundation.
All HPVA's funds are administered by the Oral Health Foundation, one of HPVA's member organisations.
