Experts warn that low uptake of the crucial HPV vaccine is putting children at risk of developing cancer later in life

Thousands of children miss out on a crucial cancer vaccine every year, experts warn.

The injection is offered to children aged 12 to 13 years to protect them against the human papilloma virus. The virus, known as HPV, can cause cancers, including those of the head, neck and cervix.

Although the highly effective vaccine has been offered to all girls in Year 8 since 2008 and all boys since 2019, almost half of all eligible children do not receive it, leaving them vulnerable later in life, according to experts.

The absorption is also considerably lower than with the MMR vaccination. In England, around eight in ten children receive the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Experts say this disparity is partly due to the public perception that the HPV vaccine is intended to prevent sexually transmitted infections and is therefore not relevant for children.

Researchers also say that because the HPV vaccine is given to older children, parents are less likely to give them the shot than when they are babies because they think they are less likely to get seriously ill.

HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. About 80 percent of unvaccinated people will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but for most it is harmless.

For some, however, it can severely damage the DNA in their cells, allowing the cancer to multiply within them.

According to the charity Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, HPV vaccination rates remain worryingly low. In 2022, only 52 percent of boys and 56 percent of girls had been vaccinated.

Michelle Vickers, Chief Awareness Officer at Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, said: ‘High-risk HPV infections are now the fastest growing risk factor and the leading cause of head and neck cancer.

‘There are now 3,300 new cases of head and neck cancer linked to HPV infections each year in Britain.’