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HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination in Kent

Not a travel vaccine. It prevents the infection behind nearly all cervical cancer, and the NHS gives it free to anyone who missed the school programme, up to their 25th birthday.

Per dose
£180
Doses
3
Full course
£540
Call your nearest clinic about HPVSee prices
Ages
from 9
Protects for
long term; no booster currently recommended
Come in
no deadline, though the course runs over six months
We stock
Gardasil 9

Assessed individually

Who tends to need HPV

  • Adults over 25 who missed the school programme and are no longer eligible on the NHS
  • Men who have sex with men, for whom the NHS offer runs to 45 through sexual health services
  • Anyone who wants protection and does not want to wait for an NHS route to apply
  • Parents arranging it privately for a child outside the school schedule

What the vaccine prevents

Human papillomavirus is extremely common - most sexually active adults are infected at some point, usually clear it without ever knowing, and come to no harm. A minority of infections persist, and persistent infection with certain high-risk types is what causes almost all cervical cancer.

It is not only cervical. The same types drive a substantial share of anal, penile, vaginal, vulval and oropharyngeal cancers, which is why the UK programme has covered boys as well as girls since 2019. Gardasil 9 covers nine types, including the two behind most genital warts.

The free routes, which are wider than people think

It is given in school at twelve to thirteen. Anyone who missed it can still get it free on the NHS up to their twenty-fifth birthday - that catch-up is widely underused, and it is the first thing to check.

Separately, men who have sex with men are offered it free through sexual health and HIV services up to forty-five. Neither route costs anything, and both are better value than paying us.

Who it still helps after exposure

The vaccine works best before any exposure, which is why it is given to children. That does not make it pointless afterwards: it covers nine types, and almost nobody has been exposed to all nine.

It does not treat an infection you already have, and it does not replace cervical screening. Screening still finds the changes that vaccination did not prevent, and anyone eligible should keep going whatever their vaccination history.

Plan ahead

The course and its timing

Under 15 at the first dose
2 doses, 6 to 24 months apart.
15 and over
3 doses at 0, 2 and 6 months.
Immunosuppressed
3 doses whatever the age at the first.
  • An interrupted course is resumed rather than restarted.
  • The price list prices the three-dose course; a younger child on two doses pays for two.
  • Not a live vaccine. It is not given in pregnancy, but that is precaution rather than known harm.

What to expect

Common side effects

  • A sore arm, which is the common one
  • Headache or tiredness for a day
  • Feeling faint shortly afterwards, more often in teenagers - we keep you sitting for a few minutes

Side effects are usually mild and settle within a day or two. A reaction that worries you, or anything that is getting worse rather than better, is worth a call to the clinic that vaccinated you — or to 111 out of hours.

Common questions

HPV questions

  • I am 24 and missed it at school. Do I have to pay?

    No. The NHS catch-up runs to your twenty-fifth birthday, so go to your GP rather than paying us. After that birthday it becomes private.

  • Is it worth having if I am already sexually active?

    Usually yes. It covers nine types and very few people have been exposed to all of them. It will not clear an infection you already have.

  • Do I still need cervical screening afterwards?

    Yes, absolutely. The vaccine prevents most but not all of the cancer-causing types, and screening is what catches the rest. Keep your appointments.

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