Haringey (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Haringey Council launches new educational video series, created in partnership with Greighton City Academy, to mark International HPV Awareness Day.
On International HPV Awareness Day, the council’s public health staff is highlighting the advantages of the vaccine.
To increase awareness of the protective benefits of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, health professionals are collaborating with youth.
The new instructional movies explain how receiving the vaccine can help prevent several types of cancer and help to “dispel misconceptions and hesitancies” around it.
Lucia das Neves, cabinet member for health, social care and wellbeing, said:
“We are delighted to be working closely with Greig City Academy and our health and care system partners so that young people and their parents across Haringey can learn more about the HPV vaccine, and take advantage of this amazing, free, life-saving vaccination.
We will be working hard to raise the vaccination rate in our borough, so that we can prevent many thousands of cases of cancers later in life.”
A significant portion of young people are at risk and unprotected from six types of cancer that could affect them in the future because HPV vaccine uptake decreased dramatically nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels in Haringey.
Prior to the pandemic, 79% of people had received the first dose of the HPV vaccine in year eight. The current level is 66%.
A GP can provide an HPV vaccination to anyone under 25.
What are the features of the video series?
The purpose of the videos is to inform youth and their families about HPV, the vaccine’s mechanism of action, and its advantages in preventing diseases such genital, throat, and cervical cancers.
Common vaccine-related worries are covered in the series, including safety, adverse effects, and myths (such as the idea that it encourages sexual behavior). It also describes who is eligible and how the vaccine prevents cancer.
Greighton City Academy students co-produced the videos, guaranteeing that the material appeals to young viewers. By addressing knowledge gaps, this participatory method enhances participation.
In an attempt to boost HPV vaccine uptake, which has decreased since the COVID-19 epidemic, the movies will be distributed across Haringey and North Central London schools.
The series is intended to empower school-aged children, parents, and caregivers with factual information about HPV and promote well-informed vaccination decisions.