HPV vaccine uptake falls among Bedford girls, stats show

HPV vaccine uptake in Bedford has fallen significantly from pre-pandemic levels, new figures show.

Jo's Cervical Cancer trust said the decline in uptake must be "reversed quickly" so progress in decreasing instances of cancer caused by HPV is not lost.

Girls in England are offered free HPV jabs at school during years 8 and 9, when they are aged between 12 and 14.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows 56.9% of year 9 girls in Bedford had both HPV jabs in the 2021-22 academic year.

It means 602 of the 1,398 girls in the cohort were not fully vaccinated.

Although the jab rate was up from just 11.2% the previous year, when Covid restrictions impacted the vaccination programme in schools, it was down significantly from pre-pandemic levels in 2018-19 when uptake was at 87.9%.

Some girls were given the second shot in year 10 due to the impact of school closures the programme — 38.4% of this cohort across Bedford had both jabs.

The HPV vaccination protects against the human papilloma virus, which is responsible for most cervical cancer cases, as well as some other rarer cancers.

Samantha Dixon, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust chief executive, said cases of cervical cancer have fallen 87% in vaccinated women, so progress cannot be lost.

She said: “More education about the HPV vaccine, and how it can protect against cervical cancer, could help reduce vaccine hesitancy and tackle barriers to uptake.

"The HPV vaccine – combined with cervical screening – gives us the opportunity to prevent many cases of cervical cancer and save many lives."

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA said: "In recent years we have seen vaccine coverage fall due to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

"Many young people who missed out on their vaccinations have already been caught up, but more needs to be done to ensure all those eligible are vaccinated."

Ms Saliba added that children and young people who missed out on the vaccine should contact their school nurse, school immunisation team or GP to arrange getting the shots.

People are eligible for the jabs up until their 25th birthday.