Seoul's Mapo District will expand its state-supported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program to include 12-year-old boys starting Monday.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can cause cervical cancer in women and anal cancer, oral cancer, and genital warts in men.
When administered at age 12, only two doses given six months apart are sufficient to build adequate immunity.
Eligible recipients can receive the HPV quadrivalent vaccine free of charge at any designated partner medical institution regardless of their address. Mapo District has 63 designated medical institutions in total.
The program previously supported girls aged 12 to 17 and low-income women, but boys born in 2014 have been newly included this year, given that HPV infections occur in both sexes and can lead to various cancers and diseases.
