Parents can pay for their sons to be vaccinated Dr P. Marazzi/SPL

Vaccines are one of the most important advances in medical history. To eliminate the risk of an illness before it even begins is the ultimate in rational medicine. How ridiculous, then, that when we have a vaccine that can defeat a really nasty disease, in the form of cancers of the genitals and mouth, we are failing to get full benefit from it.

The vaccine in question protects against HPV (human papillomavirus), and was one of the first immunisations to prevent a form of cancer. This virus, which …