HPV inoculation rates lag behind pre-Covid levels

Ministers have been told to “step-up” efforts to get more teenagers vaccinated against HPV as rates are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The routine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which helps to prevent most cervical cancers, is delivered in schools to year 8 and 9 pupils in roughly two doses about 12 months apart.

But health officials say the programme has been impacted by closures, pupil and staff absences, and Covid-19 and flu vaccination programmes.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also says there have been reduced consent rates and reports of vaccine hesitancy in some areas.

The latest data for 2021-22 shows take-up rates are 18 percentage points lower for year 8 girls than before the pandemic.

They lowest rate was in London at 61.6 per cent compared with 74.9 per cent in the south east.

Schools Week previously reported how an NHS trust apologised in 2021 for delaying teenagers’ first jabs until 2022 because of “high demand” for Covid vaccines.

The UKHSA is now urging parents to ensure eligible young people are inoculated before they leave school, although they are eligible up to 25.

Ministers should ‘step up efforts’

Geoff Barton, the general secretary at school leaders’ union ASCL, said: “We would encourage the government to step-up its efforts to promote higher levels of take-up.”

The data shows 69.9 per cent of year 8 girls had their first dose last year, compared with 88 per cent  before the pandemic in 2018-19. It dropped dramatically to 59.2 per cent in 2019-20, and rose again to 76.6 in 2020-21.

Boys became eligible for the jab in 2019. The data shows coverage for year 8 was 62.4 per cent in 2021-22, 8.7 percentage points lower than the previous year.

Data suggests some catch-up with year 10 pupils, but coverage is still below pre-pandemic levels.

A study published in The Lancet in 2021 found the HPV programme had prevented about 450 cancers and 17,2000 pre-cancers up to mid-2019. Cervical cancer rates were 87 per cent lower.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said pupils who missed their HPV jabs should contact their school nurse, immunisation team or GP surgery to arrange a catch-up.