From bad to worse: The representation of the HPV vaccine Facebook

BackgroundAnti-HPV vaccination social media messages may increase vaccine hesitancy and avoidance. This study analyzed (1) the first decade of public, HPV-vaccine related Facebook posts’ characteristics, engagement, and health belief messages; (2) relationships between variables; (3) how those variables changed over time; and (4) identified and analyzed the posts with the most engagement.MethodsThe data sample consisted of 6,506 public HPV vaccine-related Facebook posts (n = 6,506) published within the first decade following the FDA’s first HPV vaccine approval (June 8, 2006 – June 8, 2016). Post characteristics, engagement, and health belief model (HBM) messages were coded (Krippendorf’s alpha range: 0.71–1.00).ResultsBarriers to HPV vaccination appeared more often (47.1%) than benefits (19.8%). Regarding the tone towards the vaccine, negative was dominant (45.0%) and the average sample sentiment was negative (M = -0.15, SD = 0.851). Tone positivity was negatively correlated with barriers to HPV vaccine (r = -0.631, p < 0.0001). The post with the most engagement (11,000 reactions, 6,100 comments, and 329,000 shares displayed) was anti-HPV vaccine, and negative posts received significantly greater engagement. Over time, negative tone and barriers had a greater presence. The data showed evidence for forward momentum (Durbin-Watson values) of HPV infection susceptibility (0.004), HPV infection severity (0.426), HPV vaccine benefits (0.297), and barriers to HPV vaccination (0.226) messages, tone (0.690), and the number of reactions (1.589), comments (1.389), and shares (1.340).ConclusionFacebook posts about the HPV vaccine were mostly negative with a frequent focus on barriers to vaccination. Time effects suggest that anti-HPV vaccine posts have encouraged more anti-HPV vaccine posts. Research should continue to address the influence of time. The influence of messages that are pro-HPV vaccine, but perhaps are negative in tone, address barriers, and/or presented by individual stakeholders, should be tested inside and outside of social media channels.     

Facebook for Health Promotion: Female College Students' Perspectives on Sharing HPV Vaccine Information Through Facebook

Facebook, a social network site, has been widely used among young adults. However, its potential to be used as a health promotion medium has not been fully examined. This study explored Facebook''s potential for sharing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine information among female college students in Hawai‘i. Culturally tailored flyers and handouts were developed and distributed at one large university in Hawai‘i to recruit female college students between the age of 18 and 26 having an active Facebook account. Three focus group meetings were conducted to gather student perspectives about how information about HPV vaccine may be best shared via Facebook. We found that students believed Facebook is a good awareness tool but they needed more knowledge about the HPV vaccine to feel comfortable sharing the information. Participants preferred forwarding information to chatting about HPV. Some participants expressed concern that their Facebook friends would think the HPV vaccine information they forwarded on Facebook is spam. Participants suggested prefacing the posted HPV vaccine information with a personal note in their own words to make the message more interesting and relevant to their Facebook friends. Future interventions using Facebook to promote HPV vaccine could provide students with HPV vaccine information from credible sources and ask students to attach personal testimonials or endorsements while forwarding the information on Facebook.     

Using Facebook to increase coverage of HPV vaccination among Danish girls: An assessment of a Danish social media campaign

ObjectivesIn this study we assess how different Facebook (FB) posts resonate with parents hesitant about HPV vaccination and how to engage parents in positive dialogues on FB.BackgroundVaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) was successfully introduced in the Danish childhood vaccination program in 2009 for 12 year-old girls, with coverage reaching approximately 90%. However, negative public debate questioning the safety of the vaccine coincided with a rapid decline in vaccination coverage from 2015. In May 2017, we launched the national campaign Stop HPV – stop cervical cancer with the aim to rebuild trust in the HPV vaccine and increase vaccination coverage. We used a FB page and a social media strategy to engage the campaign’s primary target group: mothers hesitant about HPV vaccination of their daughters.MethodsWe analyzed a variety of posts on the FB page Stop HPV – stop cervical cancer posted from May 2017 to December 2017. We performed analysis documenting post reach, engagement in the posts and sentiment (positive, neutral or negative) of the comments. Focus groups were recruited to provide data about attitudes to the posts and the responses from the FB management team.Results84 unique posts were published on the FB page from May 2017 to December 2017 reaching 3,476,023 individual FB profiles. In focus groups, parents requested more in-depth information. However, analyses of FB posts and sentiment of comments showed that personal stories generated higher engagement rates and more positive dialogues compared to factual posts.ConclusionThe FB page Stop HPV – stop cervical cancer has successfully reached and engaged FB users in dialogue about HPV vaccination. Personal stories are effective in creating positive dialogues on FB. However, it remains important to provide factual information to parents to enable informed decision making about HPV vaccination.     

Social media and HPV vaccination: Unsolicited public comments on a Facebook post by the Western Cape Department of Health provide insights into determinants of vaccine hesitancy in South Africa

On the 4 February 2019, the Western Cape Department of Health’s Facebook page announced the implementation of a school-based vaccination campaign aimed to administer the first doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in public schools to Grade 4 girls who are nine years old. This announcement was met with a flurry of social media responses posted on the campaign’s Facebook page. This study identifies determinants of vaccine hesitancy amongst responses provided by social media users to this post. On 8 March 2019, we conducted a qualitative study including all 157 comments to the Facebook post. The post had 659 ‘emotion’ reactions: 574 “likes”, 62 “loves”, 21 “angry faces”, 2 “laughs”, 2 “wows” and 1 “sad face”. An overwhelming majority (636/659 i.e. 97%) of reactions were favourable to the HPV vaccination campaign. Out of the 157 comments, we judged 52 (33%) of them to be ‘hesitant’, suggesting that people with negative reactions though few in number, were more likely to be vocal deniers. Concern around the safety of HPV vaccines including effects on reproductive health was the most common theme identified. Other emerging themes included: risk of cervical cancer perceived as being low, issues around consent, concerns that girls are being used for research, questionable vaccine effectiveness, use of the school-based strategy for the campaign, risk-benefits calculations of HPV vaccination and constraints such as stock-outs. Knowing someone who had been affected or being at risk of cervical cancer, having knowledge about the causes of cervical cancer, confidence in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, knowing the vaccine was being used in high income settings, and having strong recommendations from the World Health Organisation and key actors seemed to increase the willingness to accept the vaccine. The magnitude and causes of HPV vaccine hesitancy need to be investigated to ensure the success of this programme.     

Strategic health communication on social media: Insights from a Danish social media campaign to address HPV vaccination hesitancy

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether the social media strategy developed for the campaign Stop HPV – stop cervical cancer was successful at engaging target groups in communication regarding HPV vaccination.IntroductionIn 2009, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine became part of the Danish childhood vaccination program to protect Danish girls from cervical cancer. In 2015, after a period of massive media coverage questioning the safety of the HPV vaccination, a rapid decline in HPV vaccination coverage was observed. An information campaign was therefore launched in May 2017 to address HPV vaccination hesitancy.The social media strategy‘Heart-brain communication’ combined facts and emotions through varied content. Community management guidelines were worked out to ensure that there was positive dialogue. Key Point Indicators (KPI) for Engagement Rate (ER) and Click Through Rate (CTR) were chosen to uphold engagement and traffic from Facebook to the website. The KPIs were used to measure effectiveness.ResultsIn January 2019, the social media campaign had reached 8,020,000 people with an average of 127 comments per post. The average ER from May 2017 to halfway through 2018 was 6.07% and the CTR was 2.09%. The content subgroup personal stories was the most effective in creating positive dialogue. One year after the launch of the campaign, the number of positive comments had increased from less than 50% to approximately 75%.ConclusionA comprehensive social media strategy using ‘heart-brain communication’ proved useful in a campaign for HPV vaccination. The success of the social media strategy was due to meticulous planning prior to launching the campaign, the use of content subgroups, the allocation of adequate resources for community management, the empirical analysis of content, and the use of evaluation results as guidance for the production of new content.     

Prevalence and characteristics of HPV vaccine hesitancy among parents of adolescents across the US

BackgroundWhile many clinicians encounter parents or adolescents who refuse HPV vaccine, little is known about the prevalence of hesitancy for HPV vaccine nationally or its association with vaccination.MethodsIn April 2019, we surveyed families with adolescents 11–17 years using a national online panel (Knowledge Panel®) as the sampling frame. We assessed the prevalence of HPV vaccine hesitancy with the validated 9-item Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS). We used multivariate analyses to assess demographic factors associated with HPV vaccine hesitancy. We also assessed practical barriers to receipt of HPV vaccine and the relationship between barriers and hesitancy. Finally, we evaluated the association between both HPV vaccine hesitancy and practical barriers on HPV vaccine receipt or refusal.Results2,177 parents out of 4,185 sampled (52%) completed the survey, 2,020 qualified (lived with adolescent). Using a VHS cut-off score > 3 out of 5 points, 23% of US parents were hesitant about HPV vaccine. Hesitancy was lower among those with Hispanic ethnicity. At least one out of five parents disagreed that the HPV vaccine is beneficial for their adolescent, that the vaccine is effective, protects against HPV-related cancers, or that they followed their adolescent’s health-care provider’s recommendation about the vaccine. Many were concerned about vaccine side effects and the novelty of the vaccine. Adolescents living with vaccine-hesitant parents were less than one-third as likely to have received the vaccine (RR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.24, 0.35) or completed the vaccine series (RR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.23, 0.36), and were 6-fold more likely to have refused the vaccine because of parental vaccine-related concerns (RR = 6.09, 95% CI = 5.26, 7.04). Most practical barriers were independently associated with vaccine receipt but not with vaccine refusal.ConclusionsHPV vaccine hesitancy is common nationally and strongly related to both under-vaccination and vaccine refusal.     

An analysis of the Human Papilloma Virus vaccine debate on MySpace blogs

Background

The roll out of HPV immunization programs across the United States was hindered by controversy. We tracked the debate in the United States through MySpace, then the most popular social networking site, in order to better understand the public's reaction to the vaccine.

Methods

We searched MySpace for all blog discourse related to HPV immunization. We analyzed each blog according to the overall portrayal of HPV immunization, identified the characteristics of the bloggers, and developed a content analysis to categorize the types of supporting arguments made.

Results

303 blogs met our inclusion criteria. 157 (52%) of the blogs were classified as positive, 129 (43%) as negative, and 17 (6%) were ambivalent toward HPV immunization. Positive blogs generally argued that HPV infection was effective and there were no reasonable alternatives to immunizing. Negative blogs focused on the risks of immunizing and relied heavily on vaccine-critical publications to support their viewpoint. Of the blogs where gender could be identified, 75 (25%) were posted by men and 214 (71%) by women. 60% of blogs posted by men were explicitly critical about HPV immunization versus 36% of women's blogs. Male bloggers also had larger networks of friends.

Conclusions

We describe a novel and promising approach to the surveillance of public opinions and attitudes toward immunization. In our analysis, men were far more likely to hold negative views about HPV immunization than women and disseminate negative messages through larger social networks. Blog analysis is a useful tool for Public health officials to profile vaccine criticism and to design appropriate educational information tailored to respond to alternative media/alternative information actively disseminated via social media tools. Public health officials should examine mechanisms by which to leverage this media to better communicate their message through existing networks and to engage in on-going dialogue with the public.     

Mapping information exposure on social media to explain differences in HPV vaccine coverage in the United States

BackgroundTogether with access, acceptance of vaccines affects human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage, yet little is known about media’s role. Our aim was to determine whether measures of information exposure derived from Twitter could be used to explain differences in coverage in the United States.MethodsWe conducted an analysis of exposure to information about HPV vaccines on Twitter, derived from 273.8 million exposures to 258,418 tweets posted between 1 October 2013 and 30 October 2015. Tweets were classified by topic using machine learning methods. Proportional exposure to each topic was used to construct multivariable models for predicting state-level HPV vaccine coverage, and compared to multivariable models constructed using socioeconomic factors: poverty, education, and insurance. Outcome measures included correlations between coverage and the individual topics and socioeconomic factors; and differences in the predictive performance of the multivariable models.ResultsTopics corresponding to media controversies were most closely correlated with coverage (both positively and negatively); education and insurance were highest among socioeconomic indicators. Measures of information exposure explained 68% of the variance in one dose 2015 HPV vaccine coverage in females (males: 63%). In comparison, models based on socioeconomic factors explained 42% of the variance in females (males: 40%).ConclusionsMeasures of information exposure derived from Twitter explained differences in coverage that were not explained by socioeconomic factors. Vaccine coverage was lower in states where safety concerns, misinformation, and conspiracies made up higher proportions of exposures, suggesting that negative representations of vaccines in the media may reflect or influence vaccine acceptance.     

Literature review of HPV vaccine delivery strategies: Considerations for school- and non-school based immunization program

School-based vaccination is becoming a more widely considered method of delivering HPV immunizations to an adolescent population; however, many countries do not have experience with delivering adolescent vaccines or school-based programs. This literature review will summarize the experiences from countries implementing non-health facility-based and health facility-based vaccination programs and assess HPV vaccine coverage. In October 2012, a systematic search in PubMed for studies related to the evaluation of national/regional, pilot, or demonstration HPV immunization programs that worked within existing health system yielded nine articles, representing seventeen countries. School-based programs achieved high HPV vaccination coverage rates in 9 to 13-year-old girls across the different studies and geographic locations, suggesting non-health facility-based programs are possible for HPV vaccine introduction. Grade-based, compared to age-based, eligibility criteria may be easier to implement in school settings. More studies are needed to explore the methods to standardize estimates for HPV vaccine coverage so that programs can be appropriately evaluated.     

Bivalent AS04-adjuvanted HPV vaccine provides optimal cancer prevention for HPV types not included in the vaccine

All available HPV vaccines contain oncogenic types 16 and 18, most often found in HPV-related cancers and precursor lesions, but they differ in their valence and adjuvant potency. The quadri- and nonavalent HPV vaccines both contain additional types 6 and 11, related to anogenital warts, while the nonavalent vaccine contains another five types that are less frequently found in cancers. The bivalent vaccine is adjuvanted by AS04. Phase-III randomised controlled trials and population-based studies on bi- and quadrivalent vaccines suggest that the two vaccines when administered to HPV-naive persons, are optimally effective in preventing cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia grade 3 or greater, caused by types 16 or 18 (specific protection). In addition, the bivalent vaccine, but not the quadrivalent vaccine, cross-protects against HPV types not contained in the vaccine. The advantage of the quadrivalent vaccine to provide additional protection against anogenital warts, should not be traded for a lower overall efficacy in preventing pre-cancerous lesions and eventually cancer.     

Sorting through search results: a content analysis of HPV vaccine information online

Introduction

Surveys have shown that many people now turn to the Internet for health information when making health-related decisions. This study systematically analyzed the HPV vaccine information returned by online search engines. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease and is the leading cause of cervical cancers.

Methods

We conducted a content analysis of 89 top search results from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Ask.com. The websites were analyzed with respect to source, tone, information related to specific content analyzed through the lens of the Health Belief Model, and in terms of two content themes (i.e., conspiracy theories and civil liberties). The relations among these aspects of the websites were also explored.

Results

Most websites were published by nonprofit or academic sources (34.8%) and governmental agencies (27.4%) and were neutral in tone (57.3%), neither promoting nor opposing the HPV vaccine. Overall, the websites presented suboptimal or inaccurate information related to the five behavioral predictors stipulated in the Health Belief Model. Questions related to civil liberties were present on some websites.

Conclusion

Health professionals designing online communication with the intent of increasing HPV vaccine uptake should take care to include information about the risks of HPV, including susceptibility and severity. Additionally, websites should include information about the benefits of the vaccine (i.e., effective against HPV), low side effects as a barrier that can be overcome, and ways in which to receive the vaccine to raise individual self-efficacy.     

The Health Technology Assessment of bivalent HPV vaccine Cervarix in Italy

Introduction

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) approach was applied to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine in the Italian context.

Methods

Epidemiology and costs of HPV infection and related diseases, vaccine efficacy, clinical and economic impact of the HPV vaccination and women's knowledge and attitudes towards vaccination were assessed.

Results

HPV infections pooled prevalence in Italy was 19% (95%CI: 10–30%) and cervical cancer incidence was 9.8/100,000 per year. The mean costs for in situ and invasive carcinoma hospitalisation were estimated respectively in €1745.87 and €2616.16. HPV vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy and good safety profile. The meta-analysis on efficacy results in preventing persistent cervical infections by HPV16 and 18 for both HPV vaccines resulted in 87% (95%CI: 80–91%) and 78% (95%CI: 62–87%). Modelling the impact of vaccination with bivalent vaccine, it would reduce cancer cases by 67% and be cost-effective, with a cost per Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) gained of €22,055.

Conclusion

The thoroughness of the evaluation allowed us accounting for all the aspects of HPV infection/diseases. The HTA report on the HPV vaccine demonstrated to be a comprehensive tool for an informed decision making process.     

A multilevel analysis of factors influencing the inaccuracy of parental reports of adolescent HPV vaccination status

Background

Parental reports are commonly used for adolescent HPV vaccination status but may be subjected to bias. Guided by the Socioecological Framework, our study explores potential multilevel factors influencing the inaccuracy of parental reports of adolescent HPV vaccination status.

HPV vaccine for adolescent males: Acceptability to parents post-vaccine licensure

We examined mothers’ willingness to get their adolescent sons HPV vaccine. In December 2009, 2 months after approval of HPV vaccine for males, we surveyed a national sample of mothers with sons aged 9–18 (n = 406). More mothers were definitely or probably willing to get their sons HPV vaccine if the vaccine were free (47%) than if it cost $400 out of pocket (11%). The importance of HPV vaccine possibly protecting their sons’ future female partners from HPV-related disease was the strongest correlate of willingness. These findings are important to increasing acceptability to parents of HPV vaccine for their sons.     

Men having sex with men and the HPV vaccine in France: A low vaccine coverage that may be due to its infrequent proposal by physicians

IntroductionIn France, the human papilloma (HPV) vaccine is recommended to all female adolescents, and since 2016 to men having sex with men (MSM) under the age of 27. Here, we aimed to explore HPV vaccine coverage in adult MSM living in France.MethodsWe elaborated an anonymous online questionnaire targeting MSM and disseminated it between October 7, 2018 and January 15, 2019 by various means, including a Facebook® discussion forum for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users.ResultsOverall, 2094 participants completed the questionnaire (mean age 35.4 ± 11 years); 25.8% were in the age class targeted by the HPV vaccine recommendation; 16.1% were in a PrEP program. On a 1–10 scale, they evaluated being “in favor of vaccination” at a median of 10, and general vaccine usefulness and harmfulness at medians of 10 and 2, respectively; 62.4% considered that the HPV vaccine was rather not or not at all dangerous. Those using PrEP had better perceptions of vaccination in general and of the HPV vaccine in particular. For the 1728 participants with a family physician, he/she had proposed the HPV vaccine in 9.9% of cases (9.1% of those in the targeted age class [<27 years]). Overall, 1994 knew their HPV vaccine status; 8.0% had received at least 1 dose of the vaccine, including 17.9% of those in the targeted age class (and 52.2% among the 40 participants in this age group who received PrEP). When the 1935 participants who declared to be unvaccinated against HPV were asked whether they would accept to be vaccinated, 34.4% answered “rather yes” and 45.5% “definitely yes”.ConclusionHPV vaccine coverage is low among French MSM. Our results suggest that this trend has more to do with the infrequent proposals made by clinicians than with negative vaccine perceptions.     

Acceptance of the HPV vaccine among women,parents, community leaders,and healthcare providers in Ohio Appalachia

To assess HPV vaccine acceptability, focus groups of women (18–26 years), parents, community leaders, and healthcare providers were conducted throughout Ohio Appalachia. Themes that emerged among the 23 focus groups (n = 114) about the HPV vaccine were: barriers (general health and vaccine specific), lack of knowledge (cervical cancer and HPV), cultural attitudes, and suggestions for educational materials and programs. Important Appalachian attitudes included strong family ties, privacy, conservative views, and lack of trust of outsiders to the region. There are differences in HPV vaccine acceptability among different types of community members highlighting the need for a range of HPV vaccine educational materials/programs to be developed that are inclusive of the Appalachian culture.     

Declines in HPV vaccine type prevalence in women screened for cervical cancer in the United States: Evidence of direct and herd effects of vaccination

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been recommended in the United States since 2006 for routine vaccination of girls at age 11–12 years and through age 26 years for women not previously vaccinated. Changes in vaccine-type HPV (VT) prevalence can be used to evaluate vaccine impact, including herd effects.MethodsWe determined type-specific HPV in cytology specimens from women aged 20–29 years screened for cervical cancer at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in 2007 and in two vaccine era periods: 2012–2013 and 2015–2016. Detection and typing used L1 consensus PCR with hybridization for 37 types, including quadrivalent vaccine types (HPV 6/11/16/18).ResultsAmong 20–24 year-olds in 2012–2013 and 2015–2016, 44% and 64% had a history of ≥1-dose vaccination. VT prevalence decreased from 13.1% in 2007 to 2.9% in 2015–2016 (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17–0.29). HPV 31 prevalence was also lower in the vaccine periods compared with 2007. VT prevalence in 2015–2016 among 20–24 year-olds was lower in both vaccinated, 1.3% (PR = 0.10; 95% CI 0.06–0.16), and unvaccinated women, 5.8% (PR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.33–0.61). Among 25–29 year-olds, 21% and 32% had a history of ≥1-dose vaccination. VT prevalence decreased from 8.1% in 2007 to 5.0% in 2015–2016 (PR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.50–0.78). Non-VT high risk prevalence was higher in the vaccine periods compared with the pre-vaccine era in both age groups, however, not in 2015–2016 compared with 2012–2013.ConclusionWithin 9–10 years of vaccine introduction, VT prevalence decreased 78% among 20–24 year-olds and 38% in 25–29 year-olds. There were declines in both vaccinated and unvaccinated women, showing evidence of direct and herd protection.     

Chinese social media suggest decreased vaccine acceptance in China: An observational study on Weibo following the 2018 Changchun Changsheng vaccine incident

China is home to the world’s largest population, with the potential for disease outbreaks to affect billions. However, knowledge of Chinese vaccine acceptance trends is limited. In this work we use Chinese social media to track responses to the recent Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology vaccine scandal, which led to extensive discussion regarding vaccine safety and regulation in China. We analyzed messages from the popular Chinese microblogging platform Sina Weibo in July 2018 (n = 11,085), and August 2019 (n = 500). Thus, we consider Chinese vaccine acceptance, before, during, immediately after, and one year after the scandal occurred. Results show that expressions of distrust in government pertaining to vaccines increased significantly during and immediately after the scandal. Self-reports of vaccination occurred both before, and one year after, the scandal; however, these self-reports changed from positive endorsements of vaccination to concerns about vaccine harms. Data suggest that expressed support for vaccine acceptance in China may be decreasing.     

Perceptions of politicization and HPV vaccine policy support

BackgroundSince its FDA approval in 2006, the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been politically-charged, given its association with sexual health among young women and its history of controversial, and largely unsuccessful, legislative mandates. The extent to which perceived politicization is related to public support for the vaccine’s use, however, is not clear. We sought to examine the relationship between public perceptions of politicization of the HPV vaccine and public support for HPV vaccine policies.MethodsWe fielded a survey from May-June 2016 using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (18–59 years). Among respondents aware of the HPV vaccine (n = 290), we predict support for HPV vaccine policies based on respondents’ perceptions of three characteristics of the vaccine’s portrayal in public discourse: degree of controversy, certainty of the scientific evidence supporting the vaccine’s use, and frequency with which the vaccine appears in political discussion.ResultsRespondents who perceived greater certainty about the scientific evidence for the HPV vaccine were more supportive of HPV vaccine policies (p < 0.0001) than respondents who perceived the scientific evidence to be uncertain, after adjusting for respondents’ characteristics, including demographics and partisanship.ConclusionsPublic perceptions of the HPV vaccine’s politicization, particularly the portrayal of scientific evidence, are associated with receptivity to legislative mandates.Policy implicationsHow the certainty of a body of evidence gets communicated to the public may influence the policy process for a critical cancer prevention intervention.     

Post-licensure monitoring of HPV vaccine in the United States

Post-licensure evaluation of vaccines plays an important role in monitoring the progress of immunization programs, demonstrating population impact of vaccines, and providing data for ongoing policy decisions. Two human papillomovirus (HPV) vaccines are licensed and recommended for use in females in the United States, a quadrivalent human HPV vaccine, licensed in 2006 and a bivalent vaccine HPV vaccine licensed in 2009. HPV vaccination is recommended for females 11 or 12 years of age with catch-up vaccination through age 26 years. Post-licensure monitoring of the HPV vaccine program has included some of the same systems established for other vaccines, such as those for vaccine safety and coverage monitoring. However, monitoring HPV vaccine impact on infection and disease outcomes has required new efforts. While there are well established cancer registries in the United States, it will take decades before the impact of vaccine on cervical cancer is observed. More proximal measures of vaccine impact include outcomes such as prevalence of HPV vaccine types, incidence of cervical precancers and genital warts. We review systems in place or being established for post-licensure monitoring of HPV vaccine in the United States.