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 30 August 2008 15:54 BST

Fifth of parents reject cervical vaccine in trial

Friday, 25 Apr 2008 09:48
Seven in ten girls received the first dose of the HPV vaccine

Health In Focus 

One fifth of parents refused a vaccine being given to their daughters in a trial of the new cervical cancer vaccine.

This number gave no reason for their refusal, although the main concern for parents who expressed doubts was insufficient information about the vaccine and its long term safety.

Other parents were worried the vaccine is given at a young age (12 to 13 years old) and that it could promote risky sexual activity.

The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine will be offered to all schoolgirls in the UK from September as part of a £100 million national UK vaccination programme.

The vaccine prevents two types of HPV that are sexually transmitted and associated with about 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

The pilot study, based in Manchester, was the first to look at whether the vaccine will be accepted by enough parents to ensure success of the programme and how easy the delivery will be.

In the trial the HPV vaccine was offered to 2,817 girls aged between 12 and 13 who were at 36 secondary schools.

The vaccine must be given in three doses to be fully effective.

In total, 1,989 (70.6 per cent) received the first dose and 1,930 the second (68.5 per cent).

The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that vaccine uptake was significantly lower in schools with a higher proportion of girls from ethnic minority groups and poorer backgrounds.

The researchers conclude that it is possible to deliver an acceptable level of coverage for the HPV vaccine, but warn that delivery is challenging because the doses need to be delivered at the start of the school year when schools are busy.

They say further research is needed to understand the reasons why some parents will refuse the vaccine.

In an accompanying editorial, Jo Waller and Jane Wardle from Cancer Research UK said the results – which were achieved before national publicity about the HPV vaccine – are "encouraging".

"However, we must be cautious about generalising from the primary care trusts and schools that elected to take part in this study, as they are likely to provide a more positive environment for delivering the vaccine," they write.

"Problems with access and delivery can be tackled partly by sharing best practice from areas that achieve high uptake, but parental concerns also need to be identified and dealt with.

"As the immunisation programme is implemented across the country, monitoring uptake and identifying subgroups in which uptake is particularly low will be vital."
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