The Constitutional Chamber ordered the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) to vaccinate boys, not just girls, against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The resolution arose after the institution refused to give the doses to a child under the age of 10 years.
A mother filed a claim against the Fund after a health center told her that the vaccine could only be given to women between 10 and 12 years old who had not started their sexual life. In the case of children, the application had to be made through a private pharmaceutical service.
Before the magistrates, the mother argued that the cost of the vaccine in the private sector is very high and she could not afford it. He said that this situation represents gender discrimination and inequality that violates the right to reasonable and protective health for minors.
Chamber IV considered that the child has a right to the vaccine and reminded the CCSS that in February 2024, the National Commission on Immunization and Epidemiology approved the inclusion of 10-year-old children to the HPV vaccine schedule.
In addition, the Court remembered that vaccination is better with herd immunity, to protect boys and girls.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. It is estimated that eight out of 10 sexually active people will be infected with this virus at some point in their lives.
According to an article published by the Sunday Magazine de La Nación in August 2021, most infections are temporary and many people will even be infected, get rid of the virus and not get out until they had it. The problem is that there are more than 200 types of HPV, which are named by number, with 16 and 18 being the most dangerous, as they are more likely to develop cancer.
There are types of HPV that are cutaneous and cause rashes and some skin lesions that are not related to the genital area. In addition, there are mucous membranes, these are those that affect the mucous membrane of the body and cause genetic damage, causing warts (if this type of lesion is not treated in time , it can cause cancer later).
