Overview

• HPV vaccine uptake is still below pre-pandemic levels, leaving over one in four young people without protection.
• Uptake among Year 10 girls was lowest in London at 64.9% and highest in the South East at 82.7%, with boys trailing by roughly five percentage points in each region.
• Local authority coverage varies dramatically, from 38.7% in Lambeth to 97.6% in Northumberland for girls and from 28.2% to 92.2% for boys.
• Cervical cancer incidence is 65% higher in England’s most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, underscoring the link between vaccine access and health inequality.
• A free catch-up HPV jab for under-25s and ongoing cervical screening are central to NHS England’s strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.