Fall in vaccinations against cancer-causing HPV for Nottinghamshire girls

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 12-14.

Data from the UK Health Security Agency shows 71 per cent of Year 9 girls in Nottinghamshire had both HPV jabs in the 2021-22 academic year, meaning 1,377 of the 4,756 girls in the cohort were not fully vaccinated.

Although the jab rate was up from 63.8 per cent 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 90.6 per cent.

Some girls were given the second shot in Year 10 due to the impact of school closures – 81.9 per cent of this cohort across Nottinghamshire 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, trust chief executive, said cases of cervical cancer have fallen 87 per cent 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."

Across the country, about 67.3 per cent of Year 9 girls were fully vaccinated last year – a drop from the level seen three years before, when 83.9 per cent had both shots.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, 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.”

Dr Saliba said young people who missed out on the vaccine should contact their school nurse, school immunisation team or GP to arrange getting the shots.

She said: “The vaccine works and will save lives.”