Information about the HPV immunisation programme

• Including HPV immunisation into the New Zealand Immunisation Schedule was recommended by the Ministry of Health’s Immunisation Technical Working Group in November 2006.

• The development of a highly effective vaccine against the major cancer-causing types of HPV was an important opportunity for the primary prevention of cancer in New Zealand.

• The Government announced the programme in May 2008.

• The aim of the HPV immunisation programme is to protect young women from HPV infection and the risk of developing cervical cancer later in life.

• The programme started on 1 September 2008 for young women born in 1990 and 1991.

• In 2009 the programme was extended to girls born from 1992 onwards.

• At that time, publicly funded HPV immunisation programmes were already underway overseas.  For example, Australia’s HPV programme started in April 2007.

• In deciding on the age range for the HPV immunisation programme, the Ministry of Health looked at what was happening overseas, considered New Zealand’s epidemiology, consulted public health experts and commissioned a survey of parental attitudes.

• Most countries that have introduced HPV immunisation programmes have chosen a similar age range.

• 95% of eligible schools have chosen to participate in the school-based HPV immunisation programme.

• Eligible schools are those with girls in year 8 and above in areas where the district health board is offering a school-based programme.

• Most district health boards are phasing the offer of HPV immunisation to girls in schools over 2009 and 2010. 

• In 2009 HPV immunisation was mainly offered to girls in school years 8, 12 and 13. 

• In 2010 most district health boards will be offering the HPV immunisation to girls in all school years 8 to 13.

• Over 101,931 girls and young women have started the HPV immunisation programme (as at 31 March 2010).  This represents 45% of young women born in 1990 and 1991 and 42% of young women born between 1992 and 1996.

• As at 31 January 2010, a total of 242 suspect adverse events following immunisation with Gardasil had been reported to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) at the University of Otago. Most were of minor events such as injection site pain, redness and swelling.

• Of the 242 reports, 11 meet the World Health Organization guideline for a serious report. Most events were of short duration e.g., a faint where recovery was spontaneous without medical intervention. A further 20 reported visits to an emergency department or out-of-hours clinic. It is worth noting that this is a record of all reports received and will include reports that, following investigation, do not have a causal link to the vaccine.

• Medsafe reviews adverse reaction reports monthly. They are also presented quarterly to the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee.  Medsafe remains satisfied that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh its possible risks.

• As cervical cancer develops over 10 or more years, the benefits of HPV immunisation in reducing cases of cervical cancer and in reducing inequalities in disease between ethnic groups will not be evident for some time.

• The reduction in persistent HPV infection and abnormal cervical changes is likely to be apparent much sooner.

• There should be a considerable reduction in abnormal smear test results, freeing up valuable health sector resources, and most importantly, fewer women going through the stress of receiving an abnormal smear result and the tests and treatment that follow.

• Based on a recently published study from Australia, there is likely to be a marked reduction in the incidence of genital wart diagnoses.

For more information, click here.