For successful HPV vaccination, offer shots free and in schools, Hong Kong researchers say
- Coverage rate in city would surge to more than 80 per cent, Chinese University study shows
Chinese University research shows the key to a successful HPV vaccination programme is introducing a free, school-based scheme, which is expected to boost the coverage rate in Hong Kong to more than 80 per cent.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination protects against infection. Persistent infection from the virus through sexual contact can cause cervical cancer.
In 2016, cervical cancer was the ninth leading cause of cancer fatalities among women in Hong Kong, with 151 deaths recorded. And it accounted for 2.6 per cent of all cancer deaths among women in the city, according to the Department of Health.
The HPV Research and Education Consortium at Chinese University has piloted different vaccination models in schools locally since 2011.
With partial subsidy in the 2011 study, the uptake rate was 37 per cent, CUHK professor and study co-author Albert Lee said.
When the two-dose HPV vaccines were provided free of charge, covering 1,229 girls aged nine to 14 at eight schools, the uptake exceeded 80 per cent, a separate study in 2015 found.
