SOUTH West parents are being urged to vaccinate their children in order to protect them from a number of dangerous cancers.

It comes as the NHS in the region hopes to raise awareness on and around HPV Awareness Day. The occasion, on March 4, hopes to shine a spotlight on human papillomavirus (HPV) and the different cancers it causes.

As part of 2026’s day, the NHS in the South West is encouraging parents and carers to ensure their children are protected against HPV.

The HPV is a very common virus that anyone can get in their lifetime. It is usually cleared by the body, but in some cases, it can lead to cancer.

The HPV vaccine helps to protect against nine high-risk strains of HPV which can cause some cancers, including cervical, anal, penile, vulval, vaginal and some head and neck cancers.

It is offered to all children aged 12 to 13, typically in school Year 8, through school-based vaccination teams. The most recent data shows that in the South West only 73.7 per cent of girls and only 68.5 per cent of boys received their HPV vaccine in Year 8.

Dr Matthew Dominey, consultant in public health and screening and immunisation lead for NHS England South West has said the vaccine is a ‘simple and effective’ way to help protect young people.

He said: “HPV vaccination is a simple and effective way to protect young people from several types of cancer later in life.

“We encourage all parents and carers to look out for consent forms from their school-based vaccination teams and ensure they are returned promptly to ensure their children can get vaccinated on time.”

Dr Alasdair Wood, consultant in health protection and vaccine preventable disease lead at UKHSA South West, said: "The HPV vaccine saves thousands of lives each year. Vaccination rates are still well below pre-pandemic levels, and around one in four young people in the South West are still leaving school unprotected against these cancers.

"I would urge any parent whose child has missed their HPV vaccine not to wait, speak to your GP or local NHS service today."

Children who may have missed their HPV vaccination at school can catch up by contacting their school-based vaccination team. Catch-up vaccinations are also available for free on the NHS for girls aged 24 and under up until their 25th birthday and boys born after September 1, 2006 up until their 25th birthday. If you are unsure if you have received your HPV vaccination, speak with your GP.

The NHS in the South West has a strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. A key pillar of this is to increase HPV vaccination rates to at least 90 per cent for girls and boys by 2030.

HPV is linked to over 90 per cent of cervical cancers in England, however, the NHS HPV vaccine programme in England has been shown to have dramatically lowered HPV infections and rates of cervical cancer.