45% of mums undecided on ‘anti-cancer’ vaccine for kids
Up to half of New Zealand mothers were undecided about their children having the HPV vaccine, new research shows, amid concerns vaccination rates ‘‘plummeted’’ during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 7% hadn’t even heard of it.
Research published today drew on information from nearly 4500 mothers and their 8-year-olds in the longitudinal, nationally representative Growing Up in New Zealand study, to better understand mother’s intentions to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections – there’s a four in five chance (80%) of being infected in your lifetime.
Immunisation protects against infection from the types of HPV that cause almost all cervical, anal and genital cancers, as well as some mouth and throat cancers.
However, the research, funded by the Ministry of Social Development’s Children and Families Research Fund, found a significant number of mothers were undecided
about HPV vaccination: more for boys (50%) than girls (43%) – but high for both.
A higher proportion of Māori (12%) and Pacific (14%) mothers had not heard of the vaccine than non-Māori and non-Pacific (6%).
University of Auckland paediatrics professor and paper author, Cameron Grant, said this was concerning, as Māori and Pasifika have higher rates of cervical cancer and death.
Grant, a paediatrician at
Starship Children’s Hospital, said it was also concerning so many were undecided, as parental intent was closely linked with vaccine uptake.
As well as causing cervical cancer – which about 160 Kiwis are diagnosed with and 50 die from each year – HPV is linked to about 69% of vulval, 75% of vaginal, 63% of penile, 90% of anal and 70% of oropharyngeal (throat) cancers.
The vaccine used in Aotearoa, Gardasil 9, protects against the four main common strains of HPV, which are responsible for most cases of cancer, and almost all cases of genital warts, Health Navigator says.
In New Zealand, HPV vaccination is free for everyone aged 9-26, and recommended for boys and girls aged 11 to 12.
Mothers indicated they were more likely to vaccinate their 8-year-olds girls against HPV than boys (41% versus 32%).
Last month, the Cancer Society raised concerns that approximately 45,000 young people missed out on HPV vaccination due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
Grant said increased public awareness of the proven efficacy and safety of the HPV vaccine was needed, particularly for the mothers of boys, and of Māori and Pacific tamariki.
‘‘The HPV vaccine can help save lives and protect children now for their future,’’ Grant said.
The HPV vaccine was particularly vulnerable to vaccine hesitancy because of the age when given, and because it prevents sexually transmitted infections, the paper stated.
Part of this could be because it’s an ‘‘anti-cancer vaccine’’, so required parents to look ‘‘more into the future’’, Grant said.