Adolescent immunization o ers best protection vs HPV diseases
In the Philippines, about 2,800 women die of cervical cancer each year. That translates to roughly seven women dying every day from the disease.
Although awareness on human papillomavirus (HPV) as a cause of cervical cancer has grown over the last decade, there is still a lack of understanding of other HPVrelated diseases and how these can affect adolescent Filipinos.
It is critical to continue to spread education in the country on the perils of HPV and the importance of vaccination, doctor said.
Last Aug. 30, MSD, a leading global research-based healthcare company, held an event to commemorate adolescent immunization month as well as mark 10 years of HPV prevention in the Philippines.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Cesar Recto II, medical director of MSD, said they have tirelessly worked with healthcare providers, the Department of Health, medical societies, cancer support groups, as well as media and other civic organizations to increase awareness of HPV.
HPV-related cancers and genital warts
HPV is a virus that can affect both females and males. It is the most common viral infection of the human reproductive tract.
There are more than 100 types of HPV and approximately 40 types can affect the genital area. Fifteen to 20 are high-risk types that can cause cancers while the other 10 to 15 other types are responsible for benign HPV-related diseases, including genital warts.
“Studies show that if a person has had genital warts, they will have an increased risk for HPV-related cancers as they grow older,” said Cecilia Ladines-Llave, a practicing gynecologic oncologist and chair of the Asian Gynecology and Oncology Group (AGOG).
Llave said while HPV is widely known to cause cervical cancer among females, there are certain types of HPV that can cause head, neck, anal, and penile cancers among males as well.
Protection
The primary prevention for HPV is HPV vaccination. Bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines are available in the Philippines.
The quadrivalent HPV vaccine helps provide protection against HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. It has undergone efficacy and safety trials similar to those given to other routine adolescent vaccinations. It can be administered to children as young as nine years old.
HPV vaccination works best in children from the age of nine because pre-teens have a higher immune response to the vaccine versus older individuals.
Despite the possibility that they won’t be exposed to HPV at such a young age, it is already recommended that HPV vaccination be administered as the risk of exposure increases rapidly.
“We don’t wait until exposure occurs to give any other routinely recommended vaccine,” May Montellano, resident of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination and a pediatric infectious disease specialist said.