Coverage of human papillomavirus vaccination during the first year of its introduction in Spain

The decision to introduce human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination into the national immunisation programme in Spain was made in October 2007, recommending vaccination of girls aged between 11 and 14 years with three doses of HPV vaccine. All 19 regions of the country (17 Autonomous Communities and two Autonomous Cities) introduced HPV vaccination gradually into their immunisation programmes between November 2007 and the last school term of 2008. Eight regions administered the vaccine in healthcare centres and 11 in schools. In the first year of the introduction of HPV vaccination, coverage of the first and third doses was assessed, to determine the proportion of girls who did not complete the vaccination. On the basis of the available data, the Ministry of Health estimated that coverage for the first dose was 87.2% (range: 73.9-98.9%; 95% CI: 71.8 to 100) and 77.3% (range: 62.2-97.4%; 95% CI: 57.9 to 96.7) for the third dose. Higher uptake was observed when the vaccination was carried out in schools compared with healthcare centres, but the difference was not statistically significant. Negative messages in the media during implementation of the HPV vaccination programme may have had some influence on the attitudes of adolescent girls and/or their parents towards HPV vaccination and may be partly responsible for the observed vaccination dropout rate. .