{"id":5870,"date":"2026-02-13T13:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T13:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sexualhealth.gov.mt\/hpv-vaccine-campaign-protecting-against-hpv-and-cancer\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T12:19:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T12:19:39","slug":"hpv-vaccine-campaign-protecting-against-hpv-and-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sexualhealth.gov.mt\/mt\/hpv-vaccine-campaign-protecting-against-hpv-and-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"HPV Vaccine Campaign \u2013 Protecting Against HPV and Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine<\/strong> continues to be a core part of Malta\u2019s prevention efforts against HPV\u2011associated cancers and conditions. Through the <strong>National Immunisation Programme<\/strong>, the Sexual Health Malta- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate is promoting access to the HPV vaccine as a safe, effective way to reduce the risk of HPV\u2011related cancers, including cervical cancer, genital warts and other health conditions. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Expanded Access and Outreach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The HPV vaccine has been offered to females in Malta as part of the national immunisation schedule for many years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is now also being actively offered to <strong>boys aged 12 and above<\/strong> and to anyone <strong>born in the year 2000 or later<\/strong> who has not yet received it, <strong>free of charge<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outreach initiatives including vaccination drives in schools, universities, and community settings are part of the campaign to increase awareness and uptake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vaccine used in Malta protects against nine types of HPV that cause the majority of HPV\u2011related cancers and genital warts.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why the HPV Vaccine Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HPV is very common and spreads through close physical contact, including sexual activity.Most HPV infections do not cause symptoms and go away on their own\u2014but some can lead to:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cervical cancer, throat and other anogenital cancers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Genital warts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vaccination offers <strong>strong protection<\/strong> against the most harmful forms of HPV and significantly reduces the risk of developing HPV\u2011related cancers later in life. It works best when given <strong>before exposure to the virus<\/strong> (typically before sexual activity begins). <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What to Expect from the Vaccine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The HPV vaccine is safe and cannot cause HPV infection or cancer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Common side effects are mild and may include pain or swelling at the injection site, headache, or low\u2011grade fever.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>HPV Vaccination Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ages 9\u201314:<\/strong> Two doses in your arm, 6\u201312 months apart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ages 15 and older:<\/strong> Three doses. The first two doses are 1 month apart, and the third dose is about 5 months after the second. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to Get Vaccinated<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The HPV vaccine is provided through the <strong>National Immunisation Service. <\/strong>It is:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Free of charge<\/strong> for those eligible (including catch\u2011up for those born from 2000 onwards)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To book an appointment or find vaccination locations and dates, visit <strong>sexualhealth.gov.mt<\/strong> or contact your Primary Healthcare on 21 231 231. Outreach events and schedules are also announced via the Sexual Health Malta\u2019s official communication channels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine continues to be a core part of Malta\u2019s prevention efforts against HPV\u2011associated cancers and conditions. Through the National Immunisation Programme, the Sexual Health Malta- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate is promoting access to the HPV vaccine as a safe, effective way to reduce the risk of HPV\u2011related cancers, including cervical cancer, genital warts and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-mt"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>HPV Vaccine Campaign \u2013 Protecting Against HPV and Cancer - Sexual Health Malta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sexualhealth.gov.mt\/mt\/hpv-vaccine-campaign-protecting-against-hpv-and-cancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HPV Vaccine Campaign \u2013 Protecting Against HPV and Cancer - Sexual Health Malta\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) Vaccine continues to be a core part of Malta\u2019s prevention efforts against HPV\u2011associated cancers and conditions. 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