“Don’t Miss It: HPV Vaccination Campaign Targets Young Adults Aged 18 to 27”

More than 1.3 million young people aged 18 to 27 who have not yet received the shots have been invited to come and get them. Almost 20 percent of this group has done so so far. To get that percentage higher, health authorities are starting a campaign called ‘Don’t miss it’.

Campaign

With vaccination buses, pop-up locations and an information campaign, the GGDs and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) want to inform as many young people as possible about the possibility of getting vaccinated against HPV.

HPV vaccination significantly reduces the risk of six types of cancer: in the mouth and pharynx, and in the penis, anus, vagina, labia and cervix. Because many Dutch young people have not yet been vaccinated against it, a catch-up campaign has been running since the beginning of this year.

120 locations

In total, young people who fall under the target group can get an HPV vaccination at about 120 locations without an appointment. At other locations this is possible with an appointment. The campaign starts this afternoon at the Science Park in Utrecht. State Secretary Maarten van Ooijen (Public Health) will also be there.

Girls have been offered the vaccinations for a long time, but in the first years the vaccination rate remained at around 50 percent. Moreover, the vaccines for boys have only been available since last year. The hope of the authorities is that the current vaccination round will protect many more young people against serious illness from HPV.

In total, 900,000 men and 400,000 women received the invitation at the beginning of this year.