Photo: Dirceu Aurélio / MG Press
Less than half of the teenagers took both doses, warns the Secretary of Health; immunization prevents cancer
Last Wednesday was a day to take care of the health of little Heitor, 10 years old. Taken by his mother, teacher Luciana de Fátima Silva Campos, 38 years old, he received the first dose of the vaccine against HPV at a post in the city of Santa Luzia, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte. The immunizer, available in the Unified Health System (SUS) for boys and girls aged 9 to 14 years, is applied even before adolescence because it is more favorable for vaccination to be carried out before the onset of sexual life.
The vaccine protects against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and is considered a strategy for preventing and reducing diseases caused by the virus, such as cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anal region, penis, mouth and throat, in addition to genital warts.
“All vaccines are important, and the HPV vaccine is no different. If the Ministry of Health provides, there is no reason not to bring our children to be immunized, for their health, to prevent various diseases”, says Luciana. “Vaccines save lives” celebrated Heitor, despite having felt a little pain with the injection.
Recommendation – The current recommendation of the Ministry of Health is that all boys between 9 and 14 years of age should receive the vaccine against HPV. Previously, the National Immunization Program (PNI) established protection for boys from 11 to 14 years old, while for girls it was already determined that vaccination should occur from 9 to 14 years old.
“The expansion of the age group for males continues the gradual offer of this immunobiological, already proposed in 2014, equaling the recommendation already underway for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years”, explains the state coordinator of the Immunization Program gives State Department of Health of Minas Gerais (SES-MG)Josianne Gusmão, in reference to the change that took effect in September 2022, and which is due to the availability of the input and evidence of the positive impact of this vaccination on the health of children and adolescents.
In Minas Gerais, the accumulated coverage in children and adolescents, female, aged 9 to 14 years, between 2014 and 2020 is 66.12%. Among boys aged 11 to 14 years, between 2017 and 2020, coverage reached 54.27%. In absolute numbers, there are 4,075,582 children and adolescents immunized with the first dose and 2,385,537 who receive the second dose.
The data raises an alert, since the vaccination coverage against HPV is below the recommended by the Ministry of Health, which is 80% in the eligible groups. The Secretary of State for Health, physician Fabio Baccheretti, highlights the importance of vaccination to prevent infectious diseases. “That’s the right age to protect yourself for your whole life. We have vaccines left at the posts because less than half of the teenagers took two doses. We are going to guarantee one more protection for the health of our children and adolescents”, warns the secretary.
alert and taboo – One of the reasons for the low coverage is the taboo that the vaccine can bring because it is an immunization that protects against a possible Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). “The vaccine induces protection, it does not induce sexual activity. It is important to get the vaccine before starting the sexual activity phase precisely to reduce the circulation of these diseases, as well as getting vaccinated against the flu before winter. And parents should also add to immunization guidelines for other measures to prevent transmission of STIs”, clarifies Jandira Campos Lemos, president of the Minas Gerais Regional of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIM-MG). “It is a vaccine that has proven its effectiveness, that protects against the most prevalent types of HPV and that can progress to diseases such as cervical cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer and mouth cancer,” she warned.
Still according to her, it is essential to emphasize the importance of the vaccine and to intensify the work to encourage prevention. “Children will not vaccinate on their own. That’s why it’s so important to raise awareness among parents and take information to schools as well,” she said.
up-to-date vaccination card – She also recalls that parents can take advantage of each trip to the health centers to check the status of their children’s vaccine cards, with the team responsible for immunization, and thus leave the protection of children up to date.
That’s what teacher Luciana Campos, Heitor’s mother, did. She took advantage of her arrival at the Basic Health Unit to vaccinate her son against HPV to also immunize her youngest daughter, Heloísa, 6 years old, with the second dose against covid-19. She also checked with the nurses about the status of her children’s vaccination cards. “I usually keep their vaccines up to date, and whatever is missing I reinforce it”, she said.
The Government of Minas has made several efforts to expand vaccination coverage throughout the state, through SES-MG. To this end, permanent active search actions are carried out, social mobilization campaigns, encouragement to municipalities for extramural actions and guidance, together with health professionals, reinforcing the importance and encouragement of vaccination.
vaccination schedule – The schedule of the HPV vaccine comprises two doses, with an interval of six months. The child can receive the second dose even after completing 15 years, but it is essential that he has taken the first dose up to 14 years, 11 months and 29 days. The immunizer is used by more than 100 countries and has been gradually incorporated into the SUS as of 2014.
In addition to children aged 9 to 14 years, groups with special clinical conditions should also be vaccinated: people aged 9 to 45 years old living with HIV/AIDS, solid organ and bone marrow transplant recipients, and cancer patients. In these cases, three doses of the vaccine should be administered, with an interval of 2 months between the first and second doses, and 6 months between the first and third doses. For the vaccination of these groups, it is necessary to have a medical prescription.
HPV – It is estimated that Brazil has 9 to 10 million people infected with the Human Papilloma Virus and that, each year, 700,000 new cases of the infection arise. It is a virus that affects the skin and mucous membranes, and can cause warts or cancer precursor lesions, such as cervical, throat or anal cancer.
Currently, there are more than 200 types of HPV – some of which can cause cancer, especially in the cervix and anus. The disease is known as condyloma acuminata or, popularly, as genital wart, rooster crest, fig tree or crested horse.
HPV infection usually causes warts of varying sizes. In men, it is more common in the head of the penis (glans) and in the anus region. In women, the most common symptoms appear in the vagina, vulva, anus region and cervix. Lesions can also appear in the mouth and throat. Both men and women can be infected by the virus without showing symptoms.
The main form of transmission of this virus is through sex. For contagion to occur, the infected person does not need to show symptoms. But when the wart is visible, the risk of transmission is much greater. Using a condom during sexual intercourse generally prevents transmission of the virus, which can also be transmitted to the baby during childbirth.
