Children in poorest areas least likely to get HPV jab

Uptake of the HPV vaccine among school pupils in Scotland's most deprived areas has fallen further behind the rate in the richest areas, the latest figures show.

New stats from Public Health Scotland show 90.7% of pupils in the least deprived areas had received the vaccine by S4 but that figure dropped to just 74.6% in the poorest areas.

Before the Covid pandemic the difference was much smaller with both groups having more than 90% uptake.

The latest PHS stats showed an "encouraging" increase in the number of first-year secondary-school pupils given the HPV vaccine last year but it noted uptake had "gradually declined over the past 10 years".

The HPV vaccine protects against an infection that can develop into cervical cancer.

It is offered to S1 school pupils aged 12 and 13 to help stop the spread of Human papillomaviruses.

The vaccine programme, which started in 2008, has been hugely successful, with no cervical cancer cases detected in women who have been fully vaccinated.

The latest PHS figures show 72.6% of S1 pupils were given the vaccine in the last year, up from 71.5% in 2023-24.

With the vaccine offered again in later years to pupils who missed it, a total of 82.9% of S4 students had received it in 2024-25.

Despite a small increase last year, PHS said the vaccinations were "lower than rates seen prior to the Covid-19 pandemic".

Data revealed a growing gap in vaccination between the most deprived and least deprived areas but there were also differences by gender, ethnicity, and where pupils live.

The HPV vaccine was first offered to boys in 2019 but uptake among males continues to lag behind females.

By S4, coverage was 85.7% for girls and 80.3% for boys last year.

The NHS Scotland website says the HPV vaccine is the most effective way to protect against HPV infection and the health risks it can cause.