GUILD

In May 2017, the Danish Health Authority, the Danish Cancer Society, and the Danish Medical Association launched the  information campaign ”Stop HPV – Stop Cervical Cancer” (later renamed ”Stop HPV – Get Vaccinated” as boys were also recommended HPV vaccination). This initiative aimed to disseminate nuanced and evidence-based information about HPV vaccination and increase vaccination rates, which had significantly declined due to negative media coverage and subsequent
widespread parental concerns about side  effects. Since the launch of the information campaign, there has been a substantial increase in the number of girls being HPV vaccinated each year. Since boys were included in the HPV vaccination programme in 2019, the uptake among boys has also been high. Today the vaccine uptake is almost 90 % for both girls and boys. The information campaign has played a crucial role in increasing trust and uptake of HPV vaccination. The foundation of the campaign was a well-developed and thoroughly tested communication strategy, focusing on communication and dialogue with hesitant parents. When building a strong information campaign, it is always important to consider whether other important partners that the parents trust share your agenda. A strong partnership with aligned messages can improve your impact in the media, among parents and other stakeholders. In this document, lessons learned from the  information campaign are described for future inspiration.