Introductie van vaccinatie tegen baarmoederhalskanker

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) will become part of the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) in the Netherlands in 2009.

Annual HPV vaccination sessions within the NIP will start for 12-year-old girls soon after summer holidays.

In 2009 a catch-up campaign is being organised for 13- to 16-year-old girls born in 1993-1996.

Introduction of vaccination will be accompanied by a publicity campaign and by monitoring of and research into acceptance of vaccination, safety of large-scale vaccination, disease burden and efficacy of vaccination against HPV infection, precancerous lesions, cervical cancer and other HPV-associated disease.

The virus population will be monitored to detect any shifts.

NIP HPV vaccine (Cervarix) is registered for women aged 9 to 25 years.

Women aged 17 to 25 years and men are not included in the NIP or the catch-up campaign.

HPV vaccination is advisable for 17-25-year-old women who are not yet sexually active.

For a major part of 17-25-year-old women who are already sexually active, vaccination is not useful.