Jamaica Gleaner

HPV VACCINES WORK

- Cuauhtemoc Ruiz-Matus and Lucia Helena de Oliveira Guest Columnists

THE SCIENTIFIC evidence is compelling: Vaccines work! Their power to prevent disease has been widely proven - so much so that disability and death from diseases such as smallpox and polio are now a thing of the past. Thanks to the availabili­ty of the vaccine against humanpapil­loma virus (HPV), the same could also be true for cervical cancer.

Since the vaccine against HPV became available in 2006, countries have been using it to protect girls against infection from HPV strains 16 and 18, which are directly responsibl­e for seven out of 10 cases of cervical cancer. Each year in the Americas, 83,000 women are diagnosed with this disease and 35,000 die from it.

Many countries that have introduced the vaccine have already seen a significan­t impact, particular­ly when it comes to preventing infection. A systematic review of the vaccine’s impact revealed that high vaccinatio­n coverage leads to a 90 per cent reduction in HPV 16 and HPV 18 infections, and a 45 per cent reduction in cases of precancero­us lesions in women that have been vaccinated.

Ensuring HPV vaccinatio­n coverage of more than 90 per cent in the Americas, along with the provision of cervical cancer screening and treatment programmes, could prevent thousands of cases of HPV each year and eliminate those cases of cervical cancer prevented by the vaccine.

This translates to thousands of women who will not become cancer patients, will not suffer the effects of chemothera­py, and will not risk losing their lives to this preventabl­e disease.

It is estimated that by the end of 2016, more than 33 million girls had been vaccinated against HPV in the Americas. This alone will prevent more than 307,000 cases of HPV and 133,000 deaths from cervical cancer in the future.

The vaccine also has a variety of other benefits beyond the reduction of HPV and related cervical cancer in women and girls. Studies have also found a decrease in HPV infection in unvaccinat­ed men, given that women who don’t become infected with HPV also do not transmit the disease to their partners. Additional­ly, evidence shows that vaccinatin­g against HPV helps prevent other cancers, including of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and throat.

According to recommenda­tions from the Pan American Health Organizati­on/World Health Organizati­on (PAHO/WHO), girls between the ages of nine and 14 should be vaccinated with two doses of HPV vaccine administer­ed between six and 15 months apart. HPV vaccines given to this age group are more effective, and girls have a better immune response.

Since 2006, thirty-two countries and territorie­s in the Americas have incorporat­ed HPV vaccinatio­n into their routine vaccinatio­n schedules. Currently, more than 80 per cent of girls in the region have access to the vaccine.

Since the HPV vaccine has been licensed, more than 270 million doses have been applied all over the world. It is extremely safe and effective, and any doubts about its safety are unfounded, lack scientific validity, and serve only to cause rejections and delays in vaccinatio­n. The best thing parents can do is to vaccinate their daughters on time and with the recommende­d doses.

WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) constantly analyses all available data and studies on reactions associated with the vaccine in order to ensure its safety. The side effects (headache, redness and pain at the injection site, fever, nausea, and dizziness) do not differ from those caused by any other vaccine, and it is vital to remember that the benefits of vaccinatio­n outweigh any risk.

In developing countries, many women find out too late that they have HPV, generally when seeking treatment for genital warts, pre-cancerous lesions, or more series issues, which reduces their chance of survival. This is why a cervical cancer prevention programme that includes universal HPV vaccinatio­n for girls, as well as screening services and treatment for those who need it, has the potential to end cervical cancer.

Vaccinatin­g girls today is the only way to ensure that they have a happy and prosperous tomorrow, with one less serious cancer to worry about.

Cuauhtemoc Ruiz-Matus is chief of immunisati­on at PAHO. Lucia Helena de Oliveira is PAHO’s regional adviser in new vaccines. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Jamaica