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The Yellowknife Catholic Schools Board held a candidate's forum at St. Joseph School last week. Among the concerns that could creep up this year are the costs of the junior kindergarten programs and the future of the HPV vaccine for boys in the schools. From left are Miles Welsh, Steve Voytilla, Simon Taylor, Amy Simpson, Tina Schauerte, Revi Lau-a, John Dalton and Erin Currie. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Catholic candidates talk HPV vaccine
Despite a motion reversing a ban of providing vaccine in 2013, candidates seem supportive of expanding reach

Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Friday, October 16, 2015

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
As a top health professional with the GNWT and a re-committed Roman Catholic, it may seem that a school trustee like Erin Currie might be torn over allowing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to be provided to students in the schools.

But Currie, a senior nursing consultant with the Department of Health and Social Services, says it was one of the more positive developments last term and is very much consistent with the role she sees herself playing on the board as an advocate of evidence-based health science.

With a son in Grade 8 at St. Patrick School, she said it would be beneficial to expand its free availability to males, even as that would be a funding decision for the GWNT. Now, if parents want their young sons to get the vaccine, it comes at a cost

of almost $200. "I find it a little bit disappointing that it isn't offered to the boys, it is bothersome," she said. "I'm hoping so, but I'm not sure how well it can be addressed. The pervasive thought is that if they vaccinate the girls, that the boys are also protected. But that doesn't provide any coverage whatsoever for homosexual boys or boys having other forms of sex with girls. So they're still at risk."

In 2013, the Yellowknife Catholic School Board reversed a decision made by the previous board to prevent public nurses from providing Gardasil - the HPV virus vaccination to school-age girls. Now, much like other vaccines, the HPV drug is allowed free to girls with parental permission up to Grade 9. Until then, girls must have a caregiver, guardian or parent approve the vaccine for the sexually transmitted disease.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease among men and women. People can be infected by vaginal, oral, or anal sex and can result in genital warts and cancer. Nine candidates for the Yellowknife Catholic School Board put on a brief forum for about 14 people at St. Joseph School last Wednesday.

Steve Voytilla, a candidate who is running for his second term said during the meeting that it was one of his prouder, successful initiatives from the last session.

He had brought the issue forward in 2013 and said he was surprised the topic did not come up during last Wednesday's forum given the controversy it drew the last two terms.

"This was one of the things that I pushed in the beginning of the last term and at the time there was quite a bit of a vocal opposition," he said. "There was mostly support (for allowing the vaccine) but a very vocal (few) people were against the whole idea and I thought some might come to the debates and push back. But no one came."

If the vaccine were to be expanded to boys for free, Voytilla said it would be something he would support, but would be up to the GNWT.

"I think it is something the government is going to have to look at because I would say it is more of a public health issue rather than a school board issue," he said. "If public health decided to offer it to boys I would certainly be in support. Just like the girls, I would assume it would be offered with parents' permission."

Like Currie, Voytilla had been disappointed with the previous board's decision to disallow it.

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