Over 336k Malaysian girls miss HPV vaccine amid global supply disruption

A total of 336,592 female Form 1 students from the 2020 to 2022 cohort in Malaysia have not received any human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine shots, according to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is dedicated to ensuring that all female students from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 cohorts receive the HPV vaccine before they complete their schooling.

The HPV vaccination for 13-year-old Form 1 students had to be postponed in 2021 due to a global supply disruption of HPV vaccines. As a result, only 15.7% of Form 1 female students from the 2021 cohort, or 34,933 people, received the first dose using the remaining vaccine stock from 2020. This leaves 187,151 students, or 84.3%, who have not received the HPV vaccine for the 2021 cohort.

Dr Zaliha Mustafa stated: “In 2022, the price of the HPV vaccine had increased six-fold and only 100,000 doses of the HPV vaccines were procured in December last year.”

These vaccines have been distributed to states for administration to the 2021 cohort of Form 1 students who have yet to receive the vaccine. The Ministry of Health anticipates that the new procurement will be finalised in the third quarter of this year.

Female students from the 2021 cohort, who are currently in Form 3, will be prioritised for the HPV vaccination. The vaccine will then be dispensed to those from the 2022 and 2023 cohorts, depending on the number of vaccines received this year.