Dartmouth finds HPV vaccine decline

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common virus that can cause cervical and several other cancers, and the vaccine works best before exposure in early adolescence. (cancer.dartmouth.edu) (cdc.gov) A Dartmouth-led study reported Tuesday found HPV vaccine initiation fell after COVID-19 vaccines were introduced, while tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccination did not show the same drop. (unionleader.com) (sciencedirect.com) The paper, “Changes in HPV vaccine uptake following the COVID Vaccine,” was published this year in the *Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology* and examined records from a large New England health system. Its stated question was whether the COVID vaccine’s arrival correlated with changes in HPV initiation compared with Tdap. (jpagonline.org) (sciencedirect.com) That matters because HPV vaccination already trails other routine adolescent shots in the United States. CDC coverage data for 2023 showed about 77% of adolescents had received at least one HPV dose, while about 61% were up to date. (aap.org) (cdc.gov) In New Hampshire, the state immunization program flagged a sharper slide. It said the share of teens ages 13 to 17 who were up to date on HPV vaccination in 2023 fell 10.7% from 2022 and sat 7.5% below pandemic coverage levels. (content.govdelivery.com) Researchers and cancer centers frame HPV vaccination as cancer prevention, not just infection control. Dartmouth Cancer Center says Gardasil 9 covers HPV types responsible for about 90% of HPV-related cancers. (cancer.dartmouth.edu) Global health agencies are trying to push coverage higher at the same time local programs are warning about backsliding. The World Health Organization said in March 2024 that 37 countries had switched or planned to switch to a one-dose HPV schedule. (who.int) (openaccessgovernment.org) The World Health Organization’s elimination strategy pairs vaccination with screening and treatment, because the vaccine prevents most future cervical cancers but does not help people who already have disease. WHO says a woman still dies from cervical cancer every two minutes worldwide. (who.int) In the United States, CDC guidance still says routine HPV vaccination starts at ages 11 to 12 and can begin at age 9, with two doses for most people who start before age 15. That makes missed adolescent visits and delayed starts a practical problem for pediatric clinics. (cdc.gov 1) (cdc.gov 2) The Dartmouth finding adds to a broader post-pandemic picture in which providers say mistrust around COVID shots bled into views of unrelated vaccines. A 2025 qualitative study found 11 of 12 interviewed providers noticed changed patient attitudes after the pandemic began. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) For health systems, the immediate task is less abstract than the politics around vaccines. It is getting adolescents caught up before missed HPV doses become missed chances to prevent cancer. (who.int) (cancer.dartmouth.edu)