HPV vaccine uptake below pre-Covid level despite ‘encouraging’ rise last year

Fewer schoolchildren are being vaccinated against a virus which can cause cancer than there were pre-pandemic, a new report has revealed.

Official figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS) showed an “encouraging” increase in the number of first-year secondary-school pupils given the HPV vaccine in 2024-25.

A total of 72.6% of S1 students were given the vaccine in the last year, up from 71.5% in 2023-24.

With the vaccine offered again in later years to pupils who missed it when they were in S1, a total of 82.9% of S4 students had received it in 2024-25.

However, Public Health Scotland noted that uptake of the vaccine – which can protect against a range of cancers including cervical cancer – had “gradually declined over the past 10 years”.

After the latest figures were published, it said the vaccinations were “lower than rates seen prior to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Data also revealed a growing gap in vaccination between the most deprived and least deprived areas.

Just over three-fifths (62%) of S1 pupils in the poorest areas had the vaccine in 2024-25, compared with 83.4% of their counterparts in the most affluent areas.

The latest figures also showed nine out of 10 (90.7%) S4 students in the least deprived areas had received the vaccine by S4, compared to three-quarters (74.6%) of those in the most deprived areas.

Noting that “these inequalities have worsened over time”, PHS said this gap had risen from 3.1 percentage points in 2019-20 – when 91.1% of S4 students in the poorest areas had taken the HPV vaccine compared with 94.2% of those in the richest areas – to 16.1 percentage points.

Public health minister Jenni Minto described the increase in S1 students being vaccinated as “encouraging” but added: “I want to see more boys and girls taking up the HPV vaccine.”

Ms Minto said: “I would urge parents and carers to take action by signing and returning consent forms to ensure that those eligible receive the best chance of long-lasting protection against HPV-related cancers.

“We continue to work with Public Health Scotland and NHS boards through both the Scottish vaccination and immunisation programme (SVIP) and the cervical cancer elimination expert group to make sure it’s readily available to all our young people and raise awareness of the benefits of the HPV vaccine.”

Dr Claire Cameron, consultant in health protection at PHS, also urged more young people to take up the vaccine, saying: “By continuing to vaccinate, and encouraging uptake of screening, elimination of HPV-related cancers will be possible in the future.

“I encourage all parents and carers of S1 pupils to chat to their children about the free vaccines offered, before signing and returning consent forms to school by the deadline.

“It’s so important for young people to take up the vaccine offer before being exposed to the HPV virus.

“We’re keen to encourage everyone to take up offer of vaccination and protect themselves against future risks.”