Free HPV vaccination: Doctors hail move, but mixed views among parents and teens

SINGAPORE — The Government’s plans to offer free vaccination against cervical cancer to Secondary 1 girls from this year drew praise from doctors on Thursday (March 7), but the authorities may have their work cut out convincing parents to give their consent.

Parents who spoke to TODAY are worried that allowing their daughters to get the vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) will serve as a go-ahead for youth to engage in sexual activity. Some said that they will not give their consent.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday that it will offer HPV vaccination for free to female students in Sec 1, or the equivalent, from April. Female students who are now in Sec 2 to 5 will also be offered the vaccination as a one-off “catch-up” measure.

About 200 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed yearly from 2011 to 2015, and around 70 people die of the disease every year.

HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, and cervical cancer is caused by sexually acquired infection with certain types of HPV. Vaccination costs at least S$300 for the three shots required over six months.

MIXED REACTIONS FROM PARENTS

Some parents approached by TODAY are not in favour of their daughters getting HPV vaccination, while others wanted more information.

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Ms Sakunthala Jackson, who has a 15-year-old daughter, said that she will not allow her daughter to get vaccinated.

“I have already educated my daughter on sex and I am still educating her,” said the 45-year-old homemaker. “Furthermore, I feel that by allowing this vaccination, it is like giving children the permission to (engage in sexual relations) since they are already ‘protected’. I feel that both she and her partner have to be faithful in their relationship in order to avoid HPV (infection).”

Civil servant Vincent Ong, who has two daughters aged 10 and seven, said he would have preferred that MOH made the vaccination compulsory. In this way, he will not have to give permission, which could seem like he is giving his daughters the “green light” to engage in sex earlier, the 41-year-old said.

Another parent, who wanted to be known only as Ms Vijyah, said that she will encourage her 15-year-old daughter to get vaccinated but wanted more information on how long the vaccine will last and its possible side effects.

Mr Ong Ching Chye, 44, is also in favour of his three daughters aged six to 12 getting vaccinated. He called for MOH to issue a question-and-answer on the HPV vaccine.

“You only know what the vaccination is about after research. There is not a lot of information that is readily available. It will be good if parents can be informed of the benefits of the vaccination,” he said.

‘INFORM US THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA’

Several teenage girls said that they did not know what HPV or cervical cancer is, and that it may be awkward to raise the topic with their parents.

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“(My parents) will ask me if there is something wrong with me, and ask why I need to get it,” said Ayuni Insyirah, 15, who is interested in getting vaccinated.

Caron Priscilla, also 15, said that she is unlikely to get vaccinated because she does not plan on being sexually active until marriage.

Navina Nadaraj, 15, said that the authorities could use social media to raise awareness on HPV and the vaccine.

VACCINE DOESN’T CHANGE SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, DOCS SAY

Doctors are wholly in support of the vaccination exercise and seek to debunk myths surrounding its implications.

Dr Joseph Ng, president of the Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology of Singapore, said: “Parents think that if you vaccinate, that’s going to give their kids licence to be sexually promiscuous. However, that’s been shown to be untrue in the United States. We know (the vaccine) doesn’t change sexual behaviour at all.” 

Most parents have “no qualms” about vaccinating their children against Hepatitis B, which can be sexually transmitted and cause cancer, he said.

Associate Professor Chong Chia Yin, senior consultant at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, said: “The fact is that there is no evidence that boys and girls who receive the vaccine have sex earlier than those who do not have the vaccine, nor do they have more sexual partners once they become sexually active.” 

Dr June Goh, president of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, said that the move will benefit women’s health on a national level and help in the prevention of cervical cancer, which is “a potentially devastating malignancy”.

While HPV vaccines have been offered here for over a decade, a study published in 2017 by SingHealth Polyclinics showed that uptake and awareness is low.

This could be due to its cost and a fear of needles among people, said Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist and president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

“Many young people do not think that they will be at risk of cancer many years later, or know that there is a vaccine which can prevent that,” he added.

Encouraging those eligible to opt in, Prof Tambyah said: “There are not many things in Singapore which are free. Hopefully, this will persuade many parents to get their girls vaccinated to protect them from cervical cancer.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY WONG PEI TING