“On June 6, 2023, the Colombian Association of Scientific Societies filed before the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, a statement promoted by Members of the Colombian Association of Hematology and Oncology (ACHO) and members of the Colombian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FECOLSOG), where it recommended extending the vaccination coverage against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) to boys and men under 18 years of age, with the free inclusion of this vaccine, in the Expanded Immunization Plan (PAI),” said the academic organization in its statement.
Then he explained that this week a new CNPI meeting was held in which they voted in favor of extending the coverage of this important vaccine and covering the male population with it. In other words, it is now up to the national government to decide whether to abide by the recommendation and issue the indicated regulations to start implementing it.
In any case, the Colombian Association of Scientific Societies described this decision as “transcendental”, since it considered that it will favor a more comprehensive approach to this public health problem that, although it can affect women more seriously, can also generate risks health in men.
Currently, the National Immunization Plan (PAI) only contemplates HPV vaccination for girls and adolescent women. | Photo: Colombian League Against Cancer/Web
This is because HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer and heterosexual men could pass it on to their sexual partners.
“Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. According to Globocan, in 2020, 342,000 women worldwide died from this preventable cancer, including 2,490 Colombian women. The vaccine is safe and effective in protecting people against high-risk HPV types. Vaccinating modifies the natural history of the disease by interrupting the cycle of carcinogenesis (cancer development) that begins with infection”, noted the Colombian Association of Scientific Societies.
HPV mainly affects women, but it can also cause multiple diseases in men. | Photo: Getty Images
It would also be a cost-effective measure to the extent that it is estimated that for each percentage point of vaccination coverage in a population, up to forty new cases of cervical cancer and nearly 18 deaths are reduced in women under 75 years of age. .
The scientific organization explained that these figures are so high because HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections on the entire planet. And he noted that expert estimates suggest that more than 85% of the world population is infected at least once in their lives with this virus.
It is worth noting, in addition, that some HPV subtypes are also the cause of other kinds of cancer. According to figures shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC, for its acronym in English), about 70% of cancers that occur in the vulva are associated with this virus, something that also happens with 60% of penile cancer cases.
Human papillomavirus cells. | Photo: Getty Images
“Cancers in the back of the throat (oropharynx) have traditionally been caused by tobacco and alcohol, but recent studies show that about 60% to 70% of oropharyngeal cancers may be linked to HPV. Many of these can be caused by a combination of tobacco, alcohol, and HPV,” the CDC adds.
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2023-08-03 19:50:41
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