Tengrinews.kz – Vice Minister of Healthcare Timur Sultangaziyev spoke about plans to introduce voluntary HPV vaccination for boys in Kazakhstan.
In the Senate’s sidelines, the vice minister was asked when Kazakhstan might begin vaccinating not only girls but also boys against HPV.
“Since last year, we have started vaccinating girls against HPV, which is a serious virus that can later lead to diseases such as cervical cancer or other oncological conditions. As for boys, the issue is currently under consideration. We are working on it at the government level. Tentatively, we plan to begin this work in about a year,” said Timur Sultangaziyev.
He also noted that the Ministry of Healthcare plans to expand the age group of girls eligible for the HPV vaccine and is considering introducing paid vaccination for anyone who wishes to receive it.
“Our strategy is to maximize coverage among the current target group of girls. To expand further to other age groups and include boys, we need to reach a 90% vaccination rate. We aim to achieve this by the end of this year. After that, we’ll gradually expand the program to cover additional age groups of girls and eventually boys,” Sultangaziyev added.