Support your patients to get vaccinated against HPV

About HPV vaccination in Australia

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine used in Australia is called Gardasil®9 and is free and recommended for all Australians aged 12 to 25 to protect against nine types of HPV that cause almost all cervical cancers, other HPV-related cancers and genital warts.

It was introduced to the National Immunisation Program in 2007 and since then, it has contributed to significantly reducing the number of HPV infections, genital warts and pre-cancers of the cervix in Australia. ¹

This, coupled with the National Cervical Screening Program that was established in 1991, has put Australia on track to be one of the first places in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue by 2035. ²

To achieve this ambitious goal, Australia’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy has outlined a target of 90 per cent HPV vaccination coverage for 15-year-old boys and girls by 2030. However, repercussions of COVID-19 school lockdowns and other health-related barriers associated with the pandemic has seen us moving further away from this target, with HPV vaccination rates dropping across the country. In fact, one in seven 15-year-olds in Victoria have missed out on getting the HPV vaccine in school, increasing their risk of these diseases in the future. ³

In Victoria, from 2020 to 2022 we have seen a slight decline in HPV vaccination one-dose coverage in Victoria, decreasing from 88.2 per cent to 86.8 per cent for 15-year-old girls and from 86.2 per cent to 84.2 per cent for 15-year-old boys. ⁴ Concerningly, these HPV vaccination coverage declines are much larger in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations over the same time period.

Maintaining HPV vaccine coverage is critical to bring us closer to our goal of cervical cancer elimination and to ensure all Victorians have the best protection against HPV and preventable HPV-related diseases in the future.

Under the National Immunisation Program, people aged 25 and under who have missed out on the HPV vaccine are encouraged to catch up for free at their doctor, local council immunisation service or some pharmacies.

Read more about HPV vaccination in primary care settings

How you can help

Health professionals play a critical role in explaining the role of vaccines to their patients and ensuring they stay up to date with their schedule.

Help to protect your patients against HPV-related cancers and diseases by:

• discussing the HPV vaccine with your patients and encouraging them to vaccinate themselves and their children against HPV
• checking your patients HPV vaccination status and offering catch up vaccines for people that may have missed out on having it.

You can find resources to support these conversations on our resources page.

Promote HPV vaccination through clinic channels

Promote HPV vaccination on your clinic channels to raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine and remind young Victorians and parents and carers of children who have missed out to book in and get up to date on HPV vaccination.

Key messages

• The HPV vaccine protects against nine types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers, other HPV related cancers and almost all cases of genital warts.
• HPV stands for human papillomavirus. It is a common sexually transmitted infection that spreads through genital skin to skin contact between people of any gender.
• HPV usually causes no symptoms and goes away by itself however; it can sometimes cause serious diseases including cancer.
• In Australia, the HPV vaccine is free and recommended for people aged 12 to 25, under the National Immunisation Program.
• Australians aged 25 and under who missed out on the HPV vaccine at school, can catch up for free through their doctor, local council immunisation service or at some pharmacies.
• Australians who are 26 or older or not eligible for Medicare, may need to pay for the vaccine.
• The HPV vaccine is safe, effective and can protect you against HPV-related cancers and diseases in the future.
• Visit hpvvaccine.org.au for more information about HPV and the HPV vaccine.

Sample social media posts

Download these images to use in your social media posts and don’t forget to tag us at @cancervic

• Option 1: Did you or your child miss out on the HPV vaccine? Australians aged 25 and under can receive the HPV vaccine for free if they missed their scheduled dose. Book a catch-up appointment with the clinic today. Find out more about HPV and the vaccine at the @cancervic website: hpvvaccine.org.au
• Option 2: Catch up HPV vaccinations available! The HPV vaccine is safe, effective and protects against cervical cancer, other HPV-related cancers and genital warts. Australians aged 25 and under who have missed out on the vaccine can still catch up for free. Make a booking with the clinic today to get yourself or your family up to date. Learn more about the HPV vaccine at the @cancervic website hpvvaccine.org.au

Newsletter copy

Headline: Catch up on HPV vaccination

Did you or your child miss out on the HPV vaccine at school?

The HPV vaccine is provided for free to children aged 12 to 13 through school-based programs and protects against nine types of HPV which cause most cervical cancers, other HPV-related cancers and genital warts.

Australians aged 25 and under who missed getting the HPV vaccine in school can catch up for free through their doctor, local council immunisation service or some pharmacies.

If you or your child have missed out on the HPV vaccine, it’s important to catch up as soon as possible.

Book an appointment with our clinic today to get up to date on your HPV vaccination.

Find out more about HPV and the HPV vaccine by visiting hpvvaccine.org.au

HPV vaccination for teenagers video

Acknowledgement

This work is being delivered under Cancer Council Victoria’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy, supported by Freemasons Foundation Victoria.

References

1. Patel C, Brotherton JM, Pillsbury A, Jayasinghe S, Donovan B, Macartney K, Marshall H. The impact of 10 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Australia: what additional disease burden will a nonavalent vaccine prevent? Euro Surveill. 2018 Oct;23(41).
2. Hall MT, Simms KT, Lew JB, Smith MA, Brotherton JML, Saville M. (2019). The projected timeframe until cervical cancer elimination in Australia: A modelling study. The Lancet Public Health:4(1);E19-E27.
3. Hull, B, Hendry A, Dey A, Brotherton J, Macartney K, Beard F. (2023). Annual Immunisation Coverage Report 2022. National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Australia. Available at: ncirs.org.au/reports
4. Hull, B, Hendry A, Dey A, Brotherton J, Macartney K, Beard F. (2022). Annual Immunisation Coverage Report 2021. National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. Australia. Available at: ncirs.org.au/reports