About HPV infection and HPV vaccination

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection

HPV is a very common virus that is sexually transmitted. Most people will be infected by HPV at some time in their life. It’s spread through close skin to skin contact during any type of sexual activity with a man or woman.

HPV can stay in the body for many years. It can stay at very low or undetectable levels and not cause any problems. This means an HPV infection may have come from a partner a long time ago. In most people, their immune system can get rid of the virus without them ever knowing they had it.

There are many different types of HPV and only some high-risk types can lead to cancer. For some women, instead of their immune system clearing the infection, HPV can cause cells in the cervix to become abnormal. High-risk HPV types are now known to cause almost all cases of cervical cancer. Women who don’t clear high-risk HPV infection may develop pre-cancerous changes to the cells of the cervix. If the cell changes aren't treated, these can develop into cervical cancer.

In men, high-risk HPV types can cause more rare cancers, such as cancer of the anus, penis, head and neck.

Who the HPV vaccine is for and when it's given

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is offered at school to all Year 8 pupils aged 12 to 13. The vaccine works best when it's given at this age.

It's given by school nurses in the upper arm. To provide long term protection, a course of 2 injections is needed, given 6 months apart.

The first injection is given during the first school term, usually September or October. The second injection is given 6 months later, usually in March or April.

What the HPV vaccine protects against

The HPV vaccine is effective at stopping people getting the types of HPV infection that cause most cervical cancers and some anal and genital cancers and cancers of the head and neck.

Girls who have the HPV vaccine reduce their risk of getting cervical cancer by over 70%. It protects against:

HPV types 16 and 18 that cause more than 74% of cervical cancer cases
HPV types 6 and 11 that cause about 90% of cases of genital warts

Since September 2019, boys have been offered HPV vaccine in school year 8 at the same time as girls. This will protect boys against:

HPV types 16 and 18 that can cause cancers affecting men, such as cancer of the anus, penis, head and neck
HPV types 6 and 11 that cause about 90% of cases of genital warts

Since HPV vaccine was introduced for girls in 2008, this has indirectly helped to protect boys against these types of cancer and genital warts. This is because vaccinated girls will not pass HPV on to them. This is known as herd protection.

The number of genital wart infections in the UK has already fallen in both girls and boys because of the girls' vaccination programme.

A catch-up vaccination programme for older boys is not necessary as evidence suggests they're already benefitting greatly from the indirect protection that's built up from over 10 years of the girls' HPV vaccination programme.

More information about the HPV vaccine is available on the NHS Choices website.

Vaccine safety

We use the Gardasil brand of the vaccine, the same as the UK.

The vaccine had extensive studies and clinical trials before it was licensed for use and, like all medicines, continues to be monitored.

Tens of millions of doses have been given around the world and it's safety is well established. You can find out more about the HPV vaccine safety on NHS Choices website

Side effects of the vaccination

As with all vaccinations, it's not uncommon to experience mild soreness in the arm. This wears off within a day or two. More serious side effects are extremely rare.

More information about side effects is available on the NHS Choices website.

Cervical screening

The HPV vaccine doesn't protect against all types of HPV. It's important that vaccinated girls still attend for cervical screening when reaching age 25. We anticipate that in the future, women who received HPV vaccine as schoolgirls will require fewer cervical screening tests in their lifetime compared to those who did not receive HPV vaccine.