From December 1, compensation for HPV vaccines comes into force, both for boys between 11 and 18 years old, and for women up to 45 years old. The first category will benefit from a compensation of 100%, while the second category, from 50%. At the moment, the HPV – Human Papilloma Virus – vaccine is free only for girls between the ages of 11 and 18.
In Romania, over 1,500 women die every year from cervical cancer, and around 3,400 are diagnosed. The disease is caused by oncogenic HPV infection and is preventable by vaccination. Infection with oncogenic HPV strains are responsible not only for cervical cancer, but also for cancers of the oral cavity – throat, esophagus, larynx, vocal cords – as well as anal, penile, vaginal and vulva cancer.
90% of cervical cancers caused by HPV infections
There are 15 strains with high oncogenic risk, and two of them – HPV 18 and HPV 16 – are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers. Specialists believe that 90% of cervical cancer cases are caused by systematic HPV infections.
The free anti-HPV vaccination of boys between the ages of 11 and 18 will be possible from December 1, assured the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila. At the moment, only girls between 11 and 18 years old benefit from anti-HPV immunization.
For his part, Dr. Tiberiu Brădățan, secretary of state in the Ministry of Health, said, last week, at an event dedicated to women’s health, that he agreed on the anti-HPV vaccination protocol. This protocol is now published in decisional transparency and would appear in the Official Gazette by December 1.
In 2020, the Ministry of Health resumed free anti-HPV vaccination for minor girls, after the resounding failure of the anti-HPV vaccination campaign in 2008, during the ministry of Eugen Nicolaescu.
Vaccination on request, for minor girls
Now, in order to benefit from the anti-HPV vaccine, the parents of minor girls must apply to the family doctor. Applications are then centralized at the Ministry of Health. The vaccine is distributed quarterly through the Directorates of Public Health. Depending on the age of the patient, the vaccine is administered in two or three doses. In the national vaccination campaign started in 2020, in Romania, Gardasil 9 serum is used. For girls between 11 and 15 years old, the medical indication is two doses, while for those between 15 and 18 years old, three doses.
READ ALSO: When is it too late for the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine?
According to Rafila’s statements, the HPV vaccine is one of the best, most resistant and with very few side effects. In pharmacies in Romania, a dose of HPV vaccine costs around 600 lei. Data from the Romanian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology show that, from 2020 until now, just over 150,000 girls have been vaccinated.
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2023-11-27 16:26:12
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