A SINGLE HPV VACCINE DOSE PROTECTS AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER, WHO SAYS
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the use of a single human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine dose, saying, it’s highly effective in preventing the virus that causes cervical cancer.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation says, the single-dose vaccine is just as good as the two-dose schedule.
“This could be a game-changer for the prevention of the disease; seeing more doses of the lifesaving jab reach more girls,” reads a statement by WHO.
According to WHO, most sexually active women and men will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives and some will be repeatedly infected. The peak time for acquiring infection among both genders is shortly after becoming sexually active.
While nine out of 10 HPV infections go away by themselves in two years, others lead to cancer of the reproductive system, mainly cervical cancer.
HPV can cause cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, and oropharyngeal (throat, tongue, and tonsils) cancer.
“This decision opens up a whole range of possibilities. For one thing, with global supply traditionally constrained due to high demand among wealthier countries, we will now be able to make the same volume of doses and the same investment go twice as far. This could potentially save twice the number of lives,” Anuradha Gupta, deputy CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, explained.
With a population of more than 2·3 million people, Botswana reported 2010 new cases of cancer and 1112 deaths from the disease in 2020 according to a report on cancer control in Botswana by The Lancet Oncology. In 2020, the most frequently reported cancers were cervical cancer, breast cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma, prostate cancer, and oesophageal cancer. Cervical cancer ranks as the first leading cause of female cancer in Botswana. It is also the most common female cancer in women aged 15 to 44 years in Botswana.
The national HPV vaccine rollout in 2015 employs a two-dose vaccination schedule. In 2019 47 percent of girls had received both the first and second dose of the HPV vaccine. In 2020 however, 55 percent received the first dose before the program was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemanico.