Dutch Report Disappointing 8% Decrease in HPV Vaccination Rate

HPV vaccine Gardasil 9 from Merck showed a 40 percent decrease of dysplasia in women
dutch women standing on a sign out doors of a museum
Netherlands (Precision Vaccinations News)

For the 2nd year in a row, participation in vaccination against cervical cancer has dropped from 53.4 to 45.5 percent, reports National Immunisation Programme in the Netherlands for 2017.

This sharp 8 percent decrease in the number of Human PapillomaVirus (HPV) vaccinated teenage women could lead up to 80 extra cervical cancer deaths a year, said public health institute RIVM, in a press release. 

The main reasons for not being vaccinated against cervical cancer, or to have misgivings about the HPV vaccine, are concerns about possible side effects of the HPV vaccine, such as chronic fatigue.

However, these concerns are not supported by research, said RIVM.

Additionally, according to research by England’s NHS, there are no more cases of chronic fatigue than would be expected in teenage women.

Moreover, there was no evidence found to link chronic fatigue to the HPV vaccine.

The Health Council of the Netherlands says research data show that the HPV vaccine is safe.

During 2017, Gardasil-9, which protects against nine types of HPV of which the seven are responsible for up to 90 percent of all cases of cervical cancer, was included in the Danish vaccination program. All three available vaccines protect against HPV 16 and HPV 18.

Additionally, the vaccination rate for most vaccines has dropped by a total of approximately 2 to 3 percent in the Netherlands.

This decrease appears to be a national trend, as Municipal Public Health Services in all regions of the Netherlands have reported a drop. Countries neighboring the Netherlands are also concerned about falling vaccination rates and increasing doubts about being vaccinated, said the RIVM.

Separately, a Dutch study reported young women who received the HPV vaccine showed a 40 percent decrease of dysplasia, which can lead to cervical cancer.

This new study is the first to examine the effect of the vaccine in the population at large, said Professor Elsebeth Lynge and Ph.D. student Lise Thamsborg, from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.

‘It is the first study in the world to test the Gardasil-4 vaccine on a population level.”

“The Danish childhood vaccination program, which includes the HPV vaccine, is targeted at the entire population. Therefore, it is important to look at the entire population and the effect of the vaccine after the first screening of women aged 23 years,’ says Professor Elsebeth Lynge, last author of the study, in a press release.

These researchers discovered a significantly reduced risk of severe dysplasia in the 1993 birth cohort compared to the 1983 birth cohort.

HPV is a very common virus, with nearly 80 million people currently infected in the USA, says the CDC.HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses.  Men and women can get cancer of the mouth/ throat, and anus/rectum caused by HPV infections. Men can also get penile HPV cancer.  In women, HPV infection can also cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar HPV cancers. 

HPV vaccination services are found in most pharmacies and physician offices in the USA.

To schedule a vaccination appointment, please visit this page.

The CDC Vaccine Price List provides HPV vaccine prices for general information.

And vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects, says the CDC. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.

Our Trust Standards: Medical Advisory Committee

Share