Cervical cancer fears grow as number of female pupils having HPV jab falls to 73 per cent on the back of pandemic ‘vaccine fatigue’

By SAM MERRIMAN, SOCIAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT

Published: 01:41 BST, 26 May 2025 | Updated: 01:44 BST, 26 May 2025

The plan to eradicate cervical cancer in England is under threat due to a decline in children receiving the HPV vaccine in schools.

Officials say parents’ reluctance to have their children vaccinated since the pandemic has caused a 17 percentage point fall in the number of pupils having the human papillomavirus (HPV) jab.

For girls aged 12 to 13, vaccination rates fell from 90 per cent before 2020 to 73 per cent last year. 

For boys, it fell from 82 per cent to 68 per cent, according to The Sunday Times. 

Schools blame the lowered rates on parents increasingly declining or not returning consent forms.

Officials reportedly fear ‘vaccine fatigue’ is to blame for the fall, a phenomenon that has also affected other vaccination schemes. 

Vaccine fatigue is linked to a weariness towards jabs and public health appeals following excessive exposure to them during the pandemic.

HPV causes 99 per cent of all cervical cancer cases and can lead to various cancers in men, resulting in hundreds of deaths a year. 

The success of the HPV vaccine, introduced in 2008, coupled with smear testing has seen death rates fall by 75 per cent since the 1970s

Vaccine fatigue is linked to a weariness towards jabs and public health appeals following excessive exposure to them during the pandemic

The success of the HPV vaccine, introduced in 2008, coupled with smear testing has seen death rates fall by 75 per cent since the 1970s.

If the NHS is to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, it must get vaccination rates back by 2030 and ensure women receive a smear test at least once by the age of 35 and again by 45.

Caroline Temmink, NHS England’s director of vaccination, said she was still confident cervical cancer could be eliminated and vaccine rates could be restored. ‘But we need parents to work with us,’ she told The Sunday Times.

‘There’s still an element of hesitancy and vaccine fatigue following the pandemic as well,’ she said.

‘We just want to make sure that people understand the importance of getting the vaccine.’

The Department of Health announced 28 hospitals will receive new radiotherapy machines, cutting waiting times and helping 4,500 more patients get treatment faster.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said ‘As a cancer survivor, I know just how important timely treatment is.’

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Cervical cancer fears grow as number of female pupils having HPV jab falls to 73 per cent on the back of pandemic ‘vaccine fatigue’

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