RAISING AWARENESS OF THE HPV VACCINATION PROGRAMME IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme is due to begin in secondary schools across the East Riding after the Easter holidays.

In England, the HPV vaccine is offered to all 12 to 13-year-olds in Year 8 and 9 and follows a two-dose schedule. The second dose is usually 6 to 12 months after the first dose.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s public health team is working alongside schools and local health partners to raise awareness and understanding of the HPV vaccine, as well as uptake. The UK programme was first introduced in 2008 to protect girls against cervical cancer, but since the 2019/2020 academic year, both 12 to 13-year-old boys and girls in Year 8 have been eligible for the HPV vaccine in England. This is because research has shown that the vaccine helps protect both boys and girls from a number of cancers. The HPV vaccine helps protect against infection by HPV, which is a very common group of viruses. HPV infections do not usually cause any symptoms, and most people won’t even know they are infected.

Some HPV infections can get better on their own, but other high-risk types of HPV can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancers later in life, such as cervical cancer, mouth and throat cancers and some cancers of the genitals. The vaccine also helps protect against genital warts. More than 280 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been given worldwide, including 120 million doses in the US and over 10 million in the UK.

Local immunisations provider IntraHealth, who also lead on the schools’ flu vaccine programme, are running the HPV programme in East Riding secondary schools.

Schools will share an e-consent link from Intrahealth ahead of their vaccination date, which will also include all the vaccination information parents need to read. The vaccine provider may also come into school to speak to students before the vaccination date to explain HPV and answer any questions. Alternative provision is in place for those who are not in mainstream school.

For those children that previously missed the HPV vaccinations in school, it is available for free through the NHS up until their 25th birthday (for girls born after 1 September 1991 and boys born after 1 September 2006). Contact the local school immunisation team IntraHealth, by calling 03333 583 397, option 2 then option 1, or email immunisations.eastriding@intrahealth.co.uk. Parents can also ask their child’s GP for a vaccine appointment.

For more information, visit the NHS website: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-NHS (www.nhs.uk) Cervical screening - NHS (www.nhs.uk)