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(Hyttalo Souza, Unsplash)
This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.
Author: Sofiat Akinola, Project Specialist, Global Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is now reported as the most common badually transmitted infection. Different types of contacts can spread the virus, including kissing.
For the first time, boys and girls in the UK will now have equal access to the HPV vaccine starting next September as part of a government health program. This is an important step forward for gender equality, offering boys the same protections. In the United Kingdom, girls have been benefiting for eleven years from an exclusive advantage with the introduction of routine HPV vaccination mainly through school programs in 2008. This new extension will be free of charge for older boys. 12 to 13 years old (year 8), boys aged 14 to 18, who will not be covered by this new scheme, will have to pay £ 150 per dose.
Preventive measures such as condoms can reduce the risk of getting HPV, but they do not eliminate it. Studies have shown that people with large numbers of badual partners are more likely to be HIV-positive. HPV can also be transferred from a mother to her baby. Most infected people eliminate the virus, the infection disappearing from itself. However, some infections in a small group of people may persist, resulting in some cancers.
The HPV vaccine was introduced for the first time in 2006, with a recommendation to vaccinate girls and women aged 11 to 26 years. Now, with growing evidence for the vaccine's expansion, many countries are expanding its coverage. In June 2019, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the United States recommended that the HPV vaccine be administered to all boys and young men up to the age of 26 years. It has also expanded the recommendation to include men and women until the age of 45. advice from their doctors about the vaccine.
In addition, Australia has been commended for the fairness of its coverage through the implementation of a non-discriminatory program, since it has introduced the HPV vaccine for girls in 2007 and for boys in 2013. Other countries already offering the HPV vaccine to boys and girls are: Austria, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. There are now three types of HPV vaccines available on the market: Cervarix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which targets two strains of the virus; Gardasil, manufactured by Merck and approved for the first time by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006; and the expanded version Gardasil 9, which targets nine strains and was approved in 2014.
School HPV vaccination programs in the United Kingdom:
Girls: HPV vaccine introduced to girls aged 12 to 13 in 2008
Boys: 12 to 13 years old
Girls: currently available for all high school girls in first year
Boys: to be offered to boys in first year from September 2019
Girls: started in September 2008 and systematically offered to high school girls aged 11 to 12 (girls from 1 to 3 years old). At the beginning of the program, girls aged 13 to 17 also received the HPV vaccine as part of a catch-up campaign that ended in August 2011.
Boys: starting in the 2019/20 academic year, the HPV vaccine will be offered to first-year boys
Girls: HPV vaccine introduced to girls aged 12 to 13 in 2008
Boys: boys aged 12 to 13 will receive the HPV vaccine starting in the spring of 2020
In June 2019, a detailed background article and a meta-badysis were published in The Lancet, demonstrating the positive impact of HPV vaccination. Another study involving the University of Strathclyde in Scotland showed that the HPV vaccine was contributing to the reduction of pre-cancer cervical cancer, with a reduction of about 90% in the cancer virus since the launching HPV vaccination programs in schools in Scotland about 10 years ago. With undeniable evidence of the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine and a growing knowledge of the exposure of men to HPV-badociated cancer, such as cancers of the anus, penis, neck and throat, HPV vaccination in boys in the UK can prevent and reduce HPV-related cancers in the United Kingdom by demonstrating that:
1. The HPV vaccination program focuses on HPV-related cancer prevention. Prevention is the main goal because it is crucial for the reduction of HPV. Once a person has been exposed to the HPV virus, it is too late to get vaccinated. Thus, the best time to vaccinate is in early adolescence before exposure to viruses. With women, there is a possibility of secondary prevention through screening; However, there is currently no screening test recommended in men to detect the presence and status of the HPV virus. Therefore, for the male population, prevention is necessary to prevent HPV-related cancers.
2. Vaccination against HPV confers collective immunity. As both women and men are carriers of the HPV virus, a high vaccination rate confers collective immunity that benefits the population. One study showed that herd protection had reduced HPV prevalence by about 81% among vaccinated women from 2006 to 2017, with vaccination rates rising from 0% to 84%. This rate of protection is expected to increase with the extension of the HPV vaccine to men.
3. Recent reports have also shown an increase in the proportion of HPV-related head and neck cancers in men. A study found that 78% of people with head and neck cancers were men and that an HPV vaccination program for schoolchildren could reduce the head. and neck cancers in men.
To prevent, control and eliminate HPV-related cancers, it is essential that girls and boys have equal opportunities and equal access to prevention programs.
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