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Open Door

Informing the general public about prevention of cervical cancer

Fri, 9 March 2007

Cervical cancer is caused by a virus (the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus or HPV) and can be prevented through vaccination. The first such vaccine has been licensed for use in the UK, but many questions remain to be answered. Giving vaccine at an early age ensures greater protection and a higher immune response, but will vaccination of young adolescents be acceptable to the general public?

Under its Open Door programme the Nuffield funded Dr Loretta Brabin at the University of Manchester to assess parental attitudes to HPV vaccination of schoolchildren. As the first UK study of its type, the main findings were published in the journal 'Vaccine'. It seems likely that most parents will accept adolescent HPV vaccination but they will need reassurance and information on which to base their decision. Having found that over 60% of parents were unaware of HPV, the research team is extending the project to work with schools on educational materials that could help parents and adolescents make an informed decision.

The article downloadable here is reprinted from Vaccine, Vol 24, Issue 16. Pages 3087-3094.
Future acceptance of adolescent human papillomavirus vaccination: A survey of parental attitudes. Loretta Brabin, Stephen A. Roberts, Farah Farzaneh and Henry C. Kitchener.
Copyright (2006), with permission from Elsevier.

Last Updated Fri, 9 March 2007