Launch of website for families and professionals about the HPV vaccine

A website to help teenagers and parents find out about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in schools is now available. The HPV Inform website will contribute to overcoming HPV vaccine misinformation and empowering families with access to information they need to make decisions which can help protect their teenage children’s health.

HPV is a common infection that is spread by skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. The HPV vaccine is usually offered to teenagers at school as part of the NHS vaccination programme.  Research has shown that in England the vaccination programme for 12-13 year olds has almost  eliminated cervical cancer among young women and is  good value for money for the NHS. However, to gain these benefits uptake of the vaccine must be high.

The vaccine helps prevent infection with the strains of HPV that are responsible for causing cancers in both women and men. These include cancers affecting the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth and throat.  The HPV vaccine also provides protection against genital warts.

The HPV Inform website, co-created by researchers from the University of Bristol alongside families and key stakeholders, has information and helpful resources for young people, parents/carers and professionals to find out:

• What HPV is and the different illnesses it can cause
• How the HPV vaccine protects young people, and it’s safety and side effects
• How and where to get the vaccine
• Tips to help young people getting the vaccine at school

The website includes resources created by the project team as part of the EDUCATE and COMMUNICATE research studies. As well as resources that young people and parents can access directly, there are also lesson plans which could be used by school staff or immunisation teams to provide information to young people in school, for example in PHSE lessons, tutor time or assembly.

Dr Harri Fisher, Research Fellow in Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit [HPRU] in Evaluation and Behavioural Science at the University of Bristol, said:

“We are really excited to be able to launch this website so that families have easy access to information to help support their decisions about the HPV vaccine”