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Lesson for young people about the HPV vaccine in schools awarded quality mark

Press release issued: 1 February 2023

A lesson to help teenagers find out about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in schools has been awarded the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education Association quality mark. HPV is a common infection that is spread by skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. Since the pandemic there has been a decline in the uptake of the HPV vaccine – down nationally from 86% to 69%.

EDUCATE, co-produced by young people and researchers from the University of Bristol and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, will help professionals inform Key Stage 3 students about the HPV vaccine and provide reassurance about receiving the vaccine — which is usually offered to teenagers at school as part of the national vaccination programme. The resources for the EDUCATE lesson include films and exercises to assist learning, along with supporting the delivery of the HPV vaccination programme by providing young people with information and answering questions they may have. 

The vaccine helps prevent infection with the strains of HPV that are responsible for causing the majority of HPV-related cancers in both women and men. These include cancers affecting the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, anus, mouth and throat.  The HPV vaccine also provides protection against genital warts. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

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