Plea to parents over HPV jabs as uptake falls

Doctors are urging parents to make sure children get their HPV jabs, with the uptake rate in Lincolnshire well below pre-pandemic levels.

The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), said about two-thirds of people were getting the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine in the county, compared with about 90% before the Covid outbreak.

A study recently published in The Lancet has found that children vaccinated at 12 or 13 against HPV have close to no risk of dying from cervical cancer before the age of 30.

The ICB's Dr Dave Briggs said: "It's never too late. [There's] always an opportunity to protect yourself or your family."

Lincolnshire ICB's figures show that the HPV vaccine uptake rate during the 2024-25 academic year was 67.6% for Year 8 girls, down 3.7% on the previous year.

For Year 8 boys, it was 60.3% – down 4.8%.

It means that nearly a third of school pupils across the county are not protected against HPV.

The uptake of the vaccine stood at about 90% before the Covid pandemic.

Briggs said: "We are really keen to get back up to those high levels again and encourage young people and their parents to get people vaccinated against HPV."

Reasons for the fall in the number of people getting the HPV vaccine include people being "a little bit more reluctant to have vaccines" following the Covid pandemic, Briggs said.

However, he described the vaccine as an "extremely effective cancer-protection programme".

It protects both women and men "against cancers in and around their genitals, mouth and throat", he added.

He said: "Vaccinations in general are some of the most effective intervention or treatments to protect [people] against a whole range of really quite nasty common conditions.

"The best way we can protect ourselves and our families is making sure we're up to date with all our vaccines."

Dr Sunil Hindocha, medical director at Lincolnshire ICB said: "Since 2008, over 10 million doses have been administered in the UK, and over 18 million people worldwide have received this vaccine.

"It has already reduced rates of cervical cancer by 90% in women in their 20s who were offered it at ages 12 and 13 years."

The vaccine is administered to Year 8 children by the School Age Immunisation Service, which is visiting secondary schools until July.

Briggs said invitations for HPV vaccines were also being sent to families, and people can contact their GPs.

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