HPV Vaccine utilization, Alberta 2008/09-2013/14 School year

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Immunization Programs
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Canada offers both bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines; Alberta publicly funds only the quadrivalent HPV (qHPV) vaccine for school-aged girls.
• The study period covers September 2008 to August 2014, encompassing the initiation and progression of Alberta's publicly funded HPV vaccination program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake in Alberta from 2008 to 2014.
• To estimate the cumulative proportion of the female population vaccinated by the end of the 2013/14 school year.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from Alberta's Immunization and Adverse Reaction to Immunization repository and Pharmaceutical Information Network.
• Analyzed vaccine uptake by individual attributes, time, location, funding source, and doses received.
• Estimated cumulative HPV vaccination proportions for females by age group and dose count.

Main Results:

• Over 169,000 individuals received HPV vaccine; 98.3% were female, and 83.8% received publicly funded doses.
• HPV vaccine uptake demonstrated a consistent increase throughout the study period.
• By 2013/14, cumulative two-dose HPV vaccine coverage reached 34.3% for females aged 9-26, with higher rates in younger age groups (59.6% for 10-11 years, 76.0% for 14-15 years).

Conclusions:

• HPV vaccine uptake in Alberta has risen, particularly within the target demographics of the publicly funded school-based program.
• The findings indicate a positive impact of the school-girl HPV vaccination initiative on overall vaccine uptake.