Still time for young women's free HPV vaccine

Still time for young women to have free HPV vaccine.

It’s not too late to take advantage of the free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine which is still available to all young women born after or on the 1 January 1990 from their GP or practice nurse.

This is the last year girls in year nine and above will be able to have the HPV vaccine at school. From next year only year eight girls will be able to access the school based programme, and anyone older will need to have the immunisation form their GP or practice nurse.

Hawke’s Bay Medical Officer of Health Caroline McElnay said nearly 4000 young women in Hawke’s Bay had had the vaccine, which offered protection against the HPV virus that caused seven out of 10 cases of cervical cancer and the two types of HPV that caused genital warts.

The safety of the vaccine had been extensively tested and to-date over 60 million doses of the Gardasil HPV vaccine had been administered worldwide.

There was no evidence that the vaccine caused any deaths or serious illnesses but it may cause local discomfort at the injection site, which was common with all vaccinations, she said.

Dr McElnay said there was a common misconception the vaccine was only effective for five years, but it had been shown to provide stable immune memory for at least five years with no sign of weakening, and international clinical studies were continuing to monitor its protection.

“This vaccine gives us the opportunity to prevent most of the significant HPV infections and therefore the number of women who go on to develop genital warts, cervical cancer and it ultimately will help prevent a number of deaths associated with HPV,” she said.

The vaccine has been added to the National Immunisation Schedule and will be routinely offered to young women in year eight at school.

For the best protection the vaccine requires three doses over a six month period.

Anyone requiring more information can call 06 834 1815.

ENDS

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