The authors say the formation last August of the “HPV Vaccination Alliance” – a group of more than 35 organisations working in health, women’s rights, child welfare, and wider civil society “that are committed to raising awareness of HPV vaccination” – helped to reverse the trend. Their paper, entitled Rapid Response to the HPV Vaccination Crisis in Ireland, also says the programme benefited from a targeted media and social media strategy. “In 2017-18, a media campaign was launched featuring vaccinated girls, which was strongly supported by the HPV Vaccination Alliance and senior politicians. “This decline in vaccine uptake was due to parental concerns about vaccine safety that were spread by lobby groups established in 2015,” they conclude. Focus groups on parental attitudes to HPV vaccination were held and they intensified their analysis of and activity on social media.

Source: The Irish Times May 26, 2018 04:52 UTC