The National HPV Vaccination Program is extremely important, and is likely to significantly reduce the burden of cervical cancer and other HPV-related illnesses in Australia.
As most girls receive the cervical cancer vaccine at school, schools play a vital role in informing girls and their parents about the vaccine, and positively influencing its uptake in Australia.
Nationally, only around 3 in 4 girls are currently taking advantage of the free school-based vaccine program. Also, some girls who have the first dose of the vaccine are not completing the full three-dose course.
Research has shown this may be due to:
- Low awareness of HPV and the cervical cancer vaccine among girls and their parents, leading to consent forms not being returned
- Logistical issues associated with returning consent forms
- Vaccination day experience
Browse the links on the left to find useful tools to assist schools in raising awareness of HPV and the vaccine among girls and their parents.
The links on the left also contain advice about how to best run vaccination programs in a school setting.