HPV vaccination in the United Kingdom: Early days..
Brabin et al have established that under 'ideal conditions' 70%
uptake of the HPV can be achieved.
I wish to raise two points of concern. Firstly, the major reasons that
parents have given include insufficient information to make a decision, or
many unknowns (36%) and concerns about safety (36%) (1). Both concerns
stand to reason and therefore these parents cannot be criticised. The
discussion of the acceptability and possible introduction of this vaccine
has been in the public domain long before any scientific evidence to the
effect.
Secondly, these results suggest that uptake was lower among ethnic
minorities. A qualititative study in the US identified different attitudes
to HPV vaccination among African-Americans and Latinos concluding that
'unique educational strategies need to be developed, based on the needs
and perceptions of the targeted audience' (2).
I agree that these results are interesting but inconclusive. More
research is needed.
Loretta Brabin, Stephen A Roberts, Rebecca Stretch, David Baxter,
Gloria Chambers, Henry Kitchener, and Rosemary McCann
Uptake of first two doses of human papillomavirus vaccine by adolescent
schoolgirls in Manchester: prospective cohort studyBMJ, May 2008; 336:
1056 - 1058 ; doi:10.1136/bmj.39541.534109.
Isabel C. Scarinci, Isabel C. Garces-Palacio, Edward E. Partridge. An
Examination of Acceptability of HPV Vaccination among African American
Women and Latina Immigrants Journal of Women's Health. October 1, 2007,
16(8): 1224-1233. doi:10.1089/jwh.2006.0175.
Rapid Response:
HPV vaccination in the United Kingdom: Early days..
Brabin et al have established that under 'ideal conditions' 70% uptake of the HPV can be achieved. I wish to raise two points of concern. Firstly, the major reasons that parents have given include insufficient information to make a decision, or many unknowns (36%) and concerns about safety (36%) (1). Both concerns stand to reason and therefore these parents cannot be criticised. The discussion of the acceptability and possible introduction of this vaccine has been in the public domain long before any scientific evidence to the effect.
Secondly, these results suggest that uptake was lower among ethnic minorities. A qualititative study in the US identified different attitudes to HPV vaccination among African-Americans and Latinos concluding that 'unique educational strategies need to be developed, based on the needs and perceptions of the targeted audience' (2).
I agree that these results are interesting but inconclusive. More research is needed.
Loretta Brabin, Stephen A Roberts, Rebecca Stretch, David Baxter, Gloria Chambers, Henry Kitchener, and Rosemary McCann Uptake of first two doses of human papillomavirus vaccine by adolescent schoolgirls in Manchester: prospective cohort studyBMJ, May 2008; 336: 1056 - 1058 ; doi:10.1136/bmj.39541.534109.
Isabel C. Scarinci, Isabel C. Garces-Palacio, Edward E. Partridge. An Examination of Acceptability of HPV Vaccination among African American Women and Latina Immigrants Journal of Women's Health. October 1, 2007, 16(8): 1224-1233. doi:10.1089/jwh.2006.0175.
Competing interests: None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests