Saturday is HPV Awareness Day. That is why young adults today can get an injection against the human papillomavirus without an appointment at the GGD. HPV can cause six types of cancer, including cervical cancer, penile cancer, and throat cancer.
Children receive an invitation for the vaccination in the year they turn ten years old. In addition, RIVM wants to catch up. That is why young adults are invited if they have not had the injection done before. This year, a total of 1.3 million people between the ages of 19 and 27 will receive an invitation.
Usually people who still want to be vaccinated at a later age have to pay the costs themselves. But as part of the catch-up campaign, the vaccination is temporarily free for young adults.
An appointment must normally be made for the vaccination. But on HPV Awareness Day, young adults up to the age of 27 can drop by at 45 GGD locations across the country.
The vaccination consists of two injections that usually cost between 350 and 400 euros together. It is only free if young adults complete the vaccination before 2024. There must be at least five months between the first and second shots.
HPV is sexually transmitted. The chance that the vaccination will work is greatest if you have never had sex. Nevertheless, the vaccination can still work very well at a later age, says head of the National Immunization Program Jeanne-Marie Hament.
