Uptake of HPV vaccination among boys after the introduction of gender-neutral HPV vaccination in Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background HPV vaccination has been recommended and reimbursed for girls in Germany since 2007. In June 2018 the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommended the gender-neutral vaccination of adolescents aged 9 to 14 years with catch-up through age 17. Objectives of this study were to describe the uptake of vaccination in boys before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The study used data from a proprietary electronic medical record database and a database with information on nationally dispensed vaccine doses. The monthly number of first doses of HPV vaccinations in boys and girls aged 9–17 years in the period from 01/2018 to 12/2021 was determined. In addition, for boys the cumulative vaccination rates were calculated for initiated and completed vaccination series. Results Four months after the introduction of mandatory reimbursement for boys, the monthly numbers of first doses were comparable to that of girls. Compared to the same month in 2019, the number of first doses declined by up to 49% (girls) in 2020 and 71% (boys) in 2021. At the end of 2021, the vaccination rate for 15-year-old boys (2006 birth cohort) reached 44.4% for initiated and 26.4% for completed series. Conclusion After an initial dynamic increase in HPV vaccinations in boys, the impact of COVID-19 was particularly strong in the second year of the pandemic. At the end of 2021 vaccination rates were still low. Efforts are needed to catch-up on adolescents that missed doses during the pandemic and to increase uptake.

Enhancing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates through Better Knowledge? Insights from a Survey among German Medical Students

“…The KIGGS Wave 2 follow-up study after 5 years showed a stable HPV vaccination coverage among German girls [ 18 ]. A study that examined boys in Germany after the STIKOs HPV vaccination recommendation in 2018 showed that the initial HPV vaccination rates of boys were comparable in the first months of the recommendation to those of girls, but declined steadily from year to year – presumably due to the Corona pandemic [ 19 ].…”

Die ambulante Pädiatrie im Wandel

“…Als Beispiel für eine zunehmend erfolgreiche Kampagne nennen wir den Anstieg der HPV-Impfquote. Seit 2007 ist die Impfung in Deutschland verfügbar und wird seit 2018 auch Jungen empfohlen, jedoch lag die Impfquote 2019 bei Mädchen unter 50 % und bei Jungen bei knapp 5 % [2].…”

“…Die Immunogenität soll durch die in vitro aktivierten zytotoxischen CD 8 + T-Zellen, die das Tumorgewebe erkennen und infiltrieren, verbessert ▶Abb. 1 Anstieg der HPV-Impfungen bei Jungen (nach [2]). werden.…”

HPV-Impfung bei Kindern, Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen

“…Bundesweit hatten 2020 17,0 % und 2021 26,5 % der 15-jährigen Jungen eine vollständige HPV-Impfserie erhalten [74]. Wie auch für andere Impfungen, hat die COVID-19-Pandemie zu einer Reduktion der verimpften HPV-Dosen sowohl bei Mädchen als auch bei Jungen geführt [75]. Im Vergleich der HPV-Impfraten in Europa nimmt Deutschland einen Platz im unteren Drittel ein (Rang 17 von 25).…”