Stronger responders—uptake and decline of HPV-vaccination in Denmark

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the stronger responders behind the fluctuating coverage with the HPV-vaccine in Denmark in order to facilitate information campaigns targeted at specific subgroups. METHODS: Newspaper articles published from 2006 to 2009 with information about coverage with the HPV-vaccine in Denmark were identified from the database Infomedia.dk. Vaccination coverage of recent years was retrieved from the publically accessible statistics from the State’s Serum Institute. Data on average disposable income nationally and for each municipality was retrieved from Statistics Denmark. RESULTS: According to numbers published in newspapers, girls residing in municipalities with a high disposable income were the first ones to secure the HPV-vaccine in Denmark. Years later, at the start of the debate about possible side effects of the HPV-vaccine, the decline in vaccination coverage was slightly steeper for girls from high income municipalities than for girls from low income municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: Girls from municipalities with a high disposable income seem to be the stronger responders of the fluctuating coverage with the HPV-vaccine in Denmark. This was the case both during the initial surge in coverage after the vaccine’s introduction on the market, and during the later decline following the debate on possible side effects. Identification of this dispersion pattern enables health authorities to initiate targeted information campaigns.