South Australian school immunisations include vaccination for HPV (human papillomavirus) linked to cervical cancer
The South Australian government's SA Health department campaign in 2024 promoted the annual school immunisation programme, including free vaccinations for HPV (human papillomavirus), a disease linked to nearly all cervical cancers.
Image courtesy SA Health
The South Australian government and Cancer Council SA teamed up in 2024 up to raise awareness of the free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine available to young students through the annual school immunisation programme.
In South Australia, immunisation rates for HPV, associated with the risk of cervical cancer risk, were still high in 2024 but had fallen in recent years. The 2022 data for those aged 15 showed 71.5% of males and 75.8% of females were vaccinated. Between 2020 and 2022, there was a five per cent drop in vaccine coverage for males and a 3.2% drop for females.
The school immunisation programme provided free recommended vaccines to students in years seven and 10, offering long-lasting protection against HPV and other harmful diseases. Consent packs – containing a consent card and parent information letter – were distributed in Term 1 to years seven and 10 students, and a social media and radio advertising campaign, targeted at parents and carers, also ran earlier in 2024.
In South Australia, Year Seven students were offered one dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) (dTpa), and one dose of the HPV vaccine. Year 10 students were offered a single dose of the meningococcal ACWY vaccine and two doses of the meningococcal B vaccine.
HPV was a common sexually transmitted infection that could affect anyone, with eight out of 10 sexually active people having HPV at some point in their life. The HPV vaccine worked best if it was given before a person became sexually active. That’s why it was offered to children aged 12 to 13. Most people with HPV experienced no symptoms and clear the virus without ever knowing they had it but, if it didn't clear naturally, it could cause serious illness, including cancer.
HPV caused almost all cervical cancers, 90% of anal cancers, 78% of vaginal cancers, 25% of vulvar cancers, 50% of penile cancers and 60% of oropharyngeal cancers relayed to the throat, tongue and tonsils. Cancer Council research showed the HPV vaccination, coupled with the new cervical screening test, had the potential to put Australia on track to be one of the first countries in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue by 2035.
