The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national HPV immunization program in Malaysia

In Malaysia, the HPV immunization program has been introduced since 2010 as part of the national immunization plan for female students aged 13 years old. It was a very successful immunization program with good responses from students and parents until the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the schools to be closed and resulted about 225000 female students aged 13 years old either missed their vaccination or have incomplete doses of HPV vaccination in 2020 and 2021. This could possibly lead to an increase in cases of cervical cancer and genital warts in the upcoming years. Hence, a wellorganized catch-up HPV vaccination program is vital in ensuring the aim of achieving zero HPV-related infections in the future.

Automated summary

Since 2010, Malaysia has implemented the HPV immunization program for 13-year-old female students, which has been successful. However, the closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in a large number of students missing their vaccinations. This could lead to an increase in cases of cervical cancer and genital warts in the future. Therefore, a well-organized catch-up vaccination program is crucial.