Young people urged to get HPV vaccine

GP practices will send invites to patients aged 16-25

The NHS is urging hundreds of thousands of people yet to have the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to get protected against cervical and other cancers.

GP practices will send invitations via letters, emails, texts and the NHS App to patients aged 16-25 whose records show they did not get it in school.

In June, government data found inequalities in vaccine uptake in different regions in 2023-2024, with the lowest rate seen in London for both female and male year 10 students.

The vaccine is offered each year to boys and girls aged 12 to 13 to help protect them against catching the infection which causes nearly all cervical cancers and is linked to mouth, throat, anus, penis and vagina cancers.

'Get protected'

According to NHS England data, in the past three years more than 418,000 children left school unvaccinated for HPV – and there are believed to be many others aged 16-25 who were not vaccinated at school.

NHS bosses want to reach as many as possible, under plans to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 - set out in the recently published 10 Year Health Plan.

The NHS aims to increase uptake among girls to 90% by 2040, while also increasing the number of women getting cervical screening.

The vaccine can also be given to those up to age 45 with immune-compromised conditions and to men who have sex with other men.

NHS England added that the latest HPV vaccine, introduced in England in 2021, was proven to be more effective – and in the long term is predicted to reduce cases of women's cancer by 16% and HPV-attributable deaths by 9%, compared with the previous type.

Studies in England have shown that the HPV vaccine stops 90% of cervical cancer cases.

Dr Amanda Doyle, from NHS England, said: "Too many lives are lost to cervical cancer so the hard work of NHS staff across the country in vaccinating and screening as many people as possible will help us to meet our ambition of wiping out this disease.

"Encouraging progress has been made recently in increasing uptake but we know there is much more to do."

Dr Sharif Ismail, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "We know that uptake of the HPV vaccination in young people has fallen significantly since the pandemic, leaving many many thousands across the country at greater risk of HPV-related cancers.

"We're calling on all parents to return their children's HPV vaccination consent forms promptly.

"For young adults up to age 25, who missed their school vaccinations, please speak to your GP about catch-up options. It's never too late to get protected."