A human papillomavirus public vaccination program in Taiwan: The Kinmen County experience

Abstract

In Taiwan, cervical cancer is ranked sixth among all causes of death in women. With the goal of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer, the Kinmen County Health Bureau planned to implement a pilot human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program in 2007. The Bureau established a committee to promote public awareness, coordinate with the schools, arrange for the administration of the vaccine, establish a vaccination registry, and develop a plan for follow-up and assessment. Vaccination for female residents aged 16-18 began through a school-based program in 2008. A total of 1633 girls completed the vaccination protocol within 3 years, and vaccine uptake rates of over 90% were achieved by 2010. No serious adverse events were reported among those who were vaccinated. The experience gained from the Kinmen County HPV vaccination program has helped and will continue to help establish an operational model for similar programs throughout the country.

Mothers’ intention to vaccinate their daughter against human papillomavirus in Taiwan

“…Although five county governments in Taiwan have started giving HPV vaccines to female teenage students free of charge, the remaining eight county governments still do not offer free vaccination. [12,19] To increase the uptake of HPV vaccine by mothers of teenage girls in Taiwan, the government should increase its budget for cervical cancer prevention and subsidize HPV vaccination.…”

“…This age range was chosen because it represents girls and women for whom the quadrivalent vaccine is licensed in Taiwan. [12,13] 2.2 Measures Data were collected from mothers by questionnaire on three categories of variables: demographic characteristics, including whether or not daughter(s) had received HPV vaccine, reasons for or against vaccinating their daughters, and beliefs, intention, sources of influence, and cost considerations about HPV vaccination. Questions for the second and third categories of variables were developed based on the relevant literature, as included (1) reasons for or against (unwillingness to vaccinate) vaccinating daughters were adapted from a published list.…”

“…[2] These two HPV vaccines, Gardasil R and Cervarix TM were approved by Taiwan in 2006 and 2008, respectively. [2,12,13] Both HPV vaccines are administered as a 3-dose series. [5] The first vaccination injection is followed by a second injection 1-2 months later, and the third injection 6 months after the first one.…”

“…[15] The recommended age ranges for HPV vaccination in Taiwan are 9-26 years for Gardasil and 10-25 years for Cervarix. [12,13] Because HPV vaccination is not covered by Taiwan's national health insurance, we considered that one hurdle for mothers' acceptance of vaccinating a daughter against HPV would be the high cost of vaccination as suggested for Taiwan [16] and reported in Hong Kong [17] and Morocco. [18] Considering that adolescent girls are at the optimum age for HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer, five of 13 counties in Taiwan have started providing HPV vaccination free of charge to female teenage students.…”

“…[18] Considering that adolescent girls are at the optimum age for HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer, five of 13 counties in Taiwan have started providing HPV vaccination free of charge to female teenage students. [12,19] Since parents play an important role in the decision to vaccinate a daughter against HPV, [20,21] their health-related beliefs and experiences regarding HPV will influence whether the daughter is vaccinated. [21,22] For example, US mothers' decisions to vaccinate their daughters were influenced by their belief in the benefit of HPV vaccination [20,21] and exposure to media and marketing regarding HPV vaccines, especially television commercials.…”