Health needs

The NHS England Screening and Immunisation Team, who commission Immunisations and Cancer and Non-Cancer screening programmes to children and adults in the East of England would like to share information on the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccination. This information could form part of a PSHE lesson.

HPV is the Human Papillomavirus and at some point, most of us will have the virus. There are more than 100 types of HPV, but about 14 HPV types are linked to cancer. These are called high-risk HPV. Having high-risk HPV does not mean you will get cancer. In most people, HPV will go away without causing any problems.

HPV itself has no symptoms, so many people may have HPV without knowing it.

Children aged 12 and 13 years old and people at higher risk from HPV are recommended the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine reduces your chances of getting the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that's spread through skin contact of the genital area.

Most types of HPV are harmless, but some types are linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, including cervical, mouth, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancer.  HPV can also cause genital warts.

The HPV vaccination Programme

The HPV vaccine has been part of the NHS routine vaccination schedule since 2008 and is one of the most successful in the world, with high uptake and millions of doses given. Cancer Research UK, states that 'a 2021 study found that cervical cancer rates were reduced by almost 90% in women in their 20s in England, who were offered the vaccine aged 12-13.'

Since September 2023 children have been offered 1 dose instead of the previous 2 doses of HPV vaccination after research proved that one dose was just as effective. HPV vaccination programme moves to single dose from September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

EDUCATE Lesson Pack

Researchers from the University of Bristol and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, produced the EDUCATE lesson pack with young people to help teach students about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. This resource aims to provide reassurance about receiving the HPV vaccine — which is offered to teenagers at school as part of the national vaccination programme.

NHS England, East of England, Screening and Immunisation Team

Resources

• The HPV vaccine | Cancer Research UK
• The universal HPV immunisation programme (publishing.service.gov.uk)
• Easy read guide to the HPV vaccination (publishing.service.gov.uk)
  • Accessible versions are also available to order and download: audio, BSL, Braille, easy read, and large print.
  • There are 33 different language versions available to order and download: Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Spanish, Estonian, Farsi, Fijian, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Kurdish Sorani, Latvian, Lithuanian, Nepali, Panjabi, Pashto, Polish, Romany, Romanian, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Turkish, Twi, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, Urdu, Yiddish, and Yoruba.
• How the HPV vaccine works (youtube.com)
• What is the year 8 HPV vaccine? | NHS - YouTube