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The HPV vaccination will continue to be offered free of charge until the age of 30. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is concerned about an extreme decline in measles vaccinations.
Call for a national action plan for HPV vaccination
Young adults who have had their first vaccination by the end of the year will be able to receive the second dose by June 2026, explained State Secretary for Health Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ) on Friday afternoon. Without this decision by the Federal Target Control Commission, the program for people aged 21 to 30 would have been terminated at the end of the year. The extension will cost €3.5 million.
Free HPV vaccination for young adults is well-received
Königsberger-Ludwig noted that free offers were particularly well received. This includes the “catch-up campaign” launched under Green Health Minister Johannes Rauch in 2024, whereby the maximum age for the free HPV vaccination was raised from 21 to 30. 900,000 young people would fall within this age range, so there is still potential to motivate them, said Florian Boschek, chairman of the “HPV vaccination now!” initiative. Over 130,000 HPV vaccinations have been registered in this group in just under a year. Just last weekend, 400 people were vaccinated during a campaign at the Vienna Danube Island Festival. Together with the Federal Youth Council and the Austrian Student Union (ÖH), however, the initiative is calling for the HPV vaccination for individuals under 30 to be permanently included in the free vaccination program.
Protection against cancer through HPV vaccination
One in two 14-year-olds has already been vaccinated, but there is still room for improvement, said Peter McDonald, chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). Since the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a certain amount of vaccination fatigue, according to Salzburg’s regional health councillor, Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP). It is essential to counteract this through education and measures. The HPV vaccination is the only vaccination that protects explicitly against certain types of cancer, such as cervical cancer and genital warts, emphasized Königsberger-Ludwig. The earlier the immunization is given, the more effective the protection is, and she called on parents to take up the offer.
Improvements are also needed in measles vaccination, the state secretary said. Since the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an extreme decline in vaccination coverage. The ministry is currently considering how to design effective advertising campaigns.
In addition to extending the vaccination campaign, the Federal Target Control Commission has also decided on a monitoring report, said the State Secretary, who emphasized the increase in primary care units—the number of which will rise to 100 throughout Austria by July. There were also discussions about digital services, such as the 1450 number, where advisory services have increased—a sign that it is evolving from a coronavirus hotline to a health hotline. Gutschi stated that the service should be the same in every federal state.
- source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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