Notes on the data: Child and youth health

HPV 3 dose vaccine coverage: females and males aged 15 years in mid-2017

Policy context: Two prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been developed which can prevent infection and disease due to HPV types 16 and 18, the most cancer-promoting types, which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers [1].

Australia was the first country in the world to introduce a fully funded, population based HPV vaccination program, the National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program, which is now an ongoing school-based program for 12-13 year old girls, and most recently, for males of the same ages as well [2][3]. Males aged 14-15 years are also able to receive the vaccine through a catch-up program in 2014 [3].

HPV vaccine coverage data for females and males were provided by the National HPV Vaccination Program Register (NHVPR). The Register was established in 2008 to measure HPV vaccination coverage and support the management and evaluation of the program.

References:

de Sanjose S, Quint WG, Alemany L, Geraets DT, Klaustermeier JE, Lloveras B, et al. Human papillomavirus genotype attribution in invasive cervical cancer: a retrospective cross-sectional worldwide study. Lancet Oncol. 2010;11(11):1048-1056.
Gertig DM, Brotherton JML, Saville M. Methods for measuring HPV vaccination coverage and the role of the National HPV Vaccination Program Register, Australia. Sex Health. 2011;8:171-178.
Australian Government Department of Health. HPV School Vaccination Program [Internet]. 2014 [cited 31 Mar 2015].

Notes: The data presented are for females and males who were aged 15 years as at 30 June 2017, and who had received three doses of the HPV vaccination, and reported to the HPV Register as at 3 October 2018. Females and males receiving all three doses represent those fully vaccinated.

Data includes only vaccinations administered to consumers whose residential address is located in Australia, including unknown postcodes, and excludes consumers who do not wish their details to be recorded on the HPV Register.

Notes general: Where there were between 1-9 participants or residents in an area, the data are not shown.

Information held by the National HPV Vaccination Program Register is provided to the Register from immunisation providers. The accuracy of the information is dependent on the quality and timeliness of the data provided. Every effort is made to ensure that the information recorded on the Register is up to date and correct.

Some coverage estimates are over 100% and should be interpreted with caution. This may be due to:

the limited size of populations in some geographical areas;
the estimated nature of the denominator populations used; or
an inaccurate numerator due to the data having not been geo-coded. The geographic area at which the data are available is the postcode; postcode data are allocated to a PHA on the basis of the proportion of the postcode which falls into a PHA, which can result in allocation to the wrong PHA; the conversion is undertaken using approximate allocations of postcode populations (based on the best fit of Census Collection Districts (CDs) to postcode areas) to LGAs, derived from data at the previous Census. In many instances this conversion represents a crude allocation of the population of any LGA. For example, in many cases the boundaries of CDs do not match the boundaries of postcodes, and whole CDs are allocated to the postcode into which the population largely falls.

Geography: Data available by Population Health Area, Local Government Area, Primary Health Network, Quintile of socioeconomic disadvantage of area and Quintiles within PHNs, and Remoteness Area

Numerator: Number of females/ males aged 15 years as at 30 June 2017, who had received Dose 3 of the HPV vaccine

Denominator: Number of females/ males aged 15 years (2017 ERP)

Detail of analysis: Per cent

Source: Compiled by PHIDU using data from the National HPV Vaccination Program Register (NHVPR), November 2018; and the ABS Census Estimated Resident Population (ERP) 2017.