The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) is urging parents to use the final weeks of the summer holidays to vaccinate their children against human papillomavirus (HPV), thereby protecting them against several types of HPV-related cancer.
HPV is an infection transmitted primarily through sexual contact that infects the deeper layers of the skin and mucous membranes. Almost all sexually active people become infected with HPV at some point in their lives, usually without experiencing any symptoms. More than 200 types of HPV have been identified.
SPKC notes that once the school year begins, daily routines become busier for children and families, making vaccination appointments more difficult to schedule. Parents are therefore encouraged not to postpone vaccination. As of the 12th of August this year, 54.7% of children born in 2012 and 2013 had received the first dose of the vaccine, while 42.8% had received the second dose, according to SPKC data. A total of 37,243 vaccine doses have been administered to children born in these years, while the target group consists of 38,297 children.
SPKC points out that more than 15 years of experience in Europe has produced compelling scientific evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of vaccination in protecting against cervical cancer. Large-scale studies conducted in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands have found significant reductions in HPV infections and precancerous lesions,
as well as a lower incidence of cervical cancer among vaccinated women.
Results from a long-term study conducted in Sweden show that girls vaccinated before the age of 17 had an 88% lower incidence of cervical cancer compared with unvaccinated girls.
Long-term follow-up data also confirm that the vaccine’s protective effect persists for many years after vaccination.
Most sexually active people become infected with HPV at some point during their lifetime. In many cases, the infection clears on its own. However, certain high-risk HPV types can cause cervical cancer as well as cancers of the anus, vagina, vulva, penis, mouth and throat. Certain types of the virus can also cause genital warts, SPKC explains.
Vaccination is most effective when administered before exposure to the virus,
meaning before a person becomes sexually active. Vaccination is therefore recommended during adolescence in accordance with the national vaccination schedule.
SPKC reminds women that even those who have been vaccinated should regularly participate in cervical cancer screening, as HPV vaccines do not protect against all of the less common HPV types.
This year marks 20 years since the first HPV vaccine was approved in the European Union in 2006. In Latvia, state-funded HPV vaccination for girls was introduced in 2010, while vaccination for boys was introduced in 2022. Currently, vaccination is recommended for both girls and boys in all European Union and European Economic Area countries.
Latvia’s national vaccination schedule provides for HPV vaccination at the age of 12. If vaccination is not carried out at the recommended age or has been delayed, it is funded by the state up to and including the age of 25.
Vaccination can be scheduled alongside a preventive health check with a family doctor
before the start of the new school year. SPKC notes that once school begins, daily routines become busier for children and families, making it more difficult to arrange a vaccination appointment.
The World Health Organization has set a target of achieving 90% HPV vaccination coverage among girls by the age of 15. Iceland, Portugal and Norway have already reached this target.
Vaccination coverage varies by year of birth. Among children born in 2012, 58.8% have received the first dose and 48.2% the second dose, according to SPKC data. Among those born in 2013, 50.6% have received the first dose and 37.3% the second, while among children born in 2014, the corresponding figures are 36.3% and 21.7%. The data show that vaccination coverage among children in these birth cohorts is gradually increasing.
As of the 12th of August this year, Jēkabpils Municipality had the highest first-dose vaccination coverage among 12-year-olds, at 59.7%. It was followed by Krāslava Municipality at 52.8%, Valmiera Municipality at 51.2% and Saldus Municipality at 43.6%. Second-dose coverage reached 43.2% in Jēkabpils Municipality, 36.1% in Krāslava Municipality, 27.7% in Valmiera Municipality and 26.2% in Saldus Municipality.
Across Latvia’s 43 municipalities, average first-dose coverage among 12-year-olds stood at 26.9% as of August 12 this year, while average second-dose coverage was 16.5%.
In 2025, average first-dose coverage among 12-year-olds in Latvia was 43.4%, including 47.2% among girls and 39.9% among boys. In some family doctor practices, vaccination coverage reached at least 90%. High vaccination coverage rates were recorded in Valka, Alūksne, Preiļi and Jēkabpils municipalities.
Read also: Will Latvia allow younger forests to be logged? Controversial amendments head to the government