Key cancer vaccination take-up falling in Yorkshire due to 'vaccine hesitancy and pandemic fatigue'

This is offered to boys and girls when they are in Year 8 and is key to wiping out cervical cancer in the UK.

Around 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers.

The jab also protects against genital warts and head and neck cancers, such as those in the mouth or throat.

Now, GP practices in England will invite 16 to 25-year-olds to have the vaccine if records show they did not have it in school.

This comes as youngsters are increasingly not getting the jab.

In Yorkshire, the number of children leaving school without the vaccine has increased year-on-year.

In 2021-22, 12 per cent of Year 10 pupils missed the vaccine, however this rose to 18 per cent in 2022-23 and up to 24 per cent the year after.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, director of research at Yorkshire Cancer Research, explained this was down to “vaccine hesitancy and fatigue following the pandemic, and staffing issues”.

While Covid caused “severe disruption to the programme”, take-up has still not recovered to pre-2020 levels.

Dr Griffiths said: “Cervical cancer will not become a thing of the past unless young people are fully vaccinated against HPV.

“Every year, nearly 250 women in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 60 women die from it.

“Nearly all cervical cancers could be prevented if everyone gets the HPV vaccine when invited, but the latest data shows fewer children than ever before are taking up the offer of this vital protection.”

He added: “To make the elimination of cervical cancer a reality, it’s essential that children and young people get the HPV vaccination and that all women, whether they are vaccinated or not, take part in the national screening programme when invited.”

It comes as overall childhood vaccination rates are at their lowest level for 10 years.

Anti-vax conspiracy theories were increasingly espoused during the pandemic, leading to vaccine take-up for things like measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) also plummeting.

This has led to measles outbreaks in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham in recent years, areas where take-up is lowest.

Fortunately, Yorkshire largely still has reasonable vaccination rates for MMR, with Bradford having the lowest at 80.5 per cent.

This is far higher than places like Hackney and Islington in London, where fewer than two-thirds of youngsters get the MMR jab.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging parents to check their children’s vaccinations are up to date amid fears of a back-to-school surge of diseases like measles and whooping cough due to falling vaccine rates.

The NHS says vaccines prevent more than 5,000 deaths and 100,000 hospital admissions each year in England.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, UKHSA consultant epidemiologist, said: “As a mum and doctor, I know the additional stress that comes with having a sick child.

“I encourage all parents to take up the offer of vaccinations for their children at the right time, to give them the best protection from preventable diseases.

“Childhood vaccines prevent babies and children from suffering needlessly and can even be life-saving.”