MANY Bolton parents will be relieved to hear that HPV jabs are finally to be offered to teen boys as well as girls.

Experts believe that the cancer-causing Human Papilloma Virus kills far more males than was previously thought. Girls have been prioritised because HPV kills around 1,000 women a year but it’s now understood to kill around 2,000 males.

Expanding the programme will directly protect some 400,000 teen boys each year from having the virus for life. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has given the go-ahead for the campaign and thank goodness for some clear thinking on this at last.