A University of Otago, Christchurch-led study is heralding the success of the HPV vaccination programme, saying the cost and effort to introduce it was well worth it.
Lead author Associate Professor Peter Sykes, of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, says the study has confirmed the vaccination can and will prevent cervical cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand.
"We need to encourage all our young people to have this vaccine. It is incredibly important and makes a real difference – not only does it prevent cervical cancer, but it has the additional benefit of preventing other HPV-related disease including cancers of the mouth and throat," he says.
The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, aimed to determine the impact of the HPV vaccination programme, introduced in 2008, on the occurrence of high-grade cervical abnormalities and cancer.
Researchers matched data from the National Cervical Screening Programme with the national vaccination register and the incidence of detected cervical abnormalities.
They found vaccination was associated with a marked reduction in cervical cancer and that vaccinated people were also less likely to have cervical precancer changes that require treatment.
The study identified a greater benefit for those vaccinated at a young age, which Associate Professor Sykes says highlights how the vaccination programme should effectively deliver to those aged under 16.
It also indicated the importance of an HPV vaccination programme as an intervention which promotes equity, as access to it was also found to be equitable for Māori, Pacific and European people.
Associate Professor Sykes says the results of the study were what the researchers hoped to see.
"All the effort and cost of introducing the HPV vaccination programme has been worth it. However, our vaccination rates are low, and they fell during the Covid pandemic, particularly among Māori.
"If the promise of cervical cancer elimination for all people in Aotearoa New Zealand is to be achieved, it is essential we equitably improve vaccination rates and meet the World Health Organization recommendation of vaccination of 90 per cent of all young people.
"We need to invest further to meet the goal of eradicating cervical cancer as a public health problem for all."
*As the HPV vaccine does not help prevent all cancers, the researchers encourage people to follow cervical screening guidelines.
Publication:
Peter Sykes, Carrie Innes, Bryony Simcock, Beverley Lawton and Jonathan Williman
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
