The European Commission is offering member countries a total of €20 million in funding to support increased HPV vaccination rates. How Romania enters the pilot project.
Cervical cancer can be prevented by HPV vaccination Photo credit Shutterstock
Annually, 1800 women in Romania lose their lives due to cervical cancer
Estimates provided by the World Health Organization show that HPV infection is the cause of approximately 53,000 cancer cases annually in the 31 European countries[1]
and 87,000 cancer cases across the entire European region
The American Association for Cancer Research considers HPV to be the second pathogen responsible for cancer in the world, the most common oncological condition associated with HPV infection is cervical cancer.
“HPV is an abbreviation for Human Papilloma Virus, the human papilloma virus. A very large group of viruses, hundreds of types, actually a tropism for the human species found around us everywhere. Not all of these hundreds of viruses are involved in cervical cancer. Some are classified with a high degree of risk, others with medium risk and some with low risk of cervical cancer. But, in general, those that are high risk are mostly involved in the production of other types of cancer. In the case of women, it is vulvar, vaginal cancer. If we’re talking about both sexes, it’s anal cancer or head and neck, oropharyngeal cancer. Yes, these viruses are involved in many pathologies. Of course, not as strongly as they are involved in cervical cancer,” Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu, Primary Obstetrics-Gynecology Physician, Head of the Elias Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic and President of the Romanian HPV Society, declares for the Adevărul Live show.
Romania holds the first position among the states of the European Union, in terms of incidence and mortality from cervical cancer. Every year, almost 3400 Romanian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 1800 of them lose their lives because of this disease. According to GLOBOCAN, cervical cancer is the third most common type of cancer among women in our country.
“HPV can be acquired not only through sexual contact, but also through mucosal contact, from underwear, from a door handle, generally the hand taken to the genital area can also carry this HPV. In cervical cancer there are no symptoms. So nothing hurts, for a long long time, during which the cancer makes its way and reaches an advanced stage, when, unfortunately, the chances of survival are getting smaller and smaller. Cervical cancer doesn’t hurt, it’s just some bleeding on contact and the only way to be detected is the screening of neoplastic or pre-neoplastic cervical lesions, through the Babeș-Papanicolau test” warns Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu
Cervical cancer can be prevented by anti-HPV vaccination
Sustainable vaccination programs, early detection of cervical lesions, screenings and ensuring equal and fair access to diagnosis and treatment for all socio-economic categories are the essential actions to prevent cervical cancer.
Invited to the edition of Adevărul Live, Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu President of the Romanian HPV Society emphasizes that, unfortunately, cervical cancer appears from 35-40 years old, when the woman is still active, still working. There is a first peak, followed by the one that appears somewhere in old age, 70-80. The solution is the HPV vaccine.
“It is a discovery based on long-term research that highlights the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer. These are particles that closely mimic the outer shell of HPV, but they have nothing antigenic in them and cannot cause any disease. Recognizing this coating, the body makes some antibodies for it. And when the real HPV comes, it finishes it off, annihilates it,” says the specialist doctor.
A recent study in the Nordic countries demonstrated 100% effectiveness of HPV vaccination in preventing cervical cancer among young women followed for 14 years.
“The HPV vaccination must be done from 11-14 years, because the greatest immune response is produced which persists for a very long time up to 18 years and 11 months and 30 days. The vaccine has proven to be given in a course of two or three doses, after which it is no longer necessary to repeat it, because it is preserved. At least 20 years of research confirms that it is preserved and that every year added to those who were vaccinated 20 years ago proves to us that there is no need to repeat it throughout life. So, in other words, we do it once and that’s it” says Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu President of the Romanian HPV Society.
From December 2023, vaccination against HPV infections can be done in a compensated regime, in Romania.
Romania has made considerable progress in terms of improving access to anti-HPV vaccination. Starting from December 2023, vaccination against HPV infections can be done in a compensated regime.
100% for girls and boys aged between 11 and 18, based on a compensated prescription issued by doctors of all specialties, under contract with health insurance companies;
50% for women between the ages of 19 and 45, based on a compensated prescription issued by doctors of all specialties, under contract with health insurance companies.
“There is no adverse reaction to the HPV vaccine. Decades have passed since the first vaccinations. There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of vaccinations done in this world and things are quite clear. Apart from the pain at the injection site which may persist for a day, two or three, maybe a feeling of fainting due to the fear of the injection and not for other reasons, these are the most common reactions. Other, significant side effects do not exist and it is scientifically proven” Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu, President of the Romanian HPV Society, added for Adevărul Live.
Action HPV Romania, pilot project of the European Cancer Organization.
At the level of the European Union, the European Commission has announced the launch of the “Joint Action on Cancers Preventable by Vaccination” through which it will allocate total funding in the amount of 20 million euros that will also benefit Romania.
The program will be accessible from July this year and aims at initiatives to support the increase of HPV vaccination rates, the strengthening of vaccination monitoring systems and the implementation of cancer and screening registries.
The action is intended to contribute to a key objective of the European Plan to Fight Cancer: eliminating cervical cancer by vaccinating against HPV at least 90% of the target population of girls in the EU and significantly increasing the vaccination rate of boys by 2030.
The initiative supports national organizations and institutions to mobilize and collaborate to implement policies aimed at increasing HPV vaccination rates, screening and information coverage.
A wide range of organizations have come together in this new campaign (https://www.europeancancer.org/hpv/impact/hpv-romania). They agreed on action on three fronts:
· Routine sex-neutral HPV vaccination for all persons aged 11 to 18 years, with a 90% uptake rate by 2030.
· A national population-wide cervical cancer screening program based on HPV testing and including self-sampling as an option for hard-to-reach and other groups, with 70% of women tested by age 35 and again to 45 years, to be achieved by 2030.
· supported public education campaign to promote HPV awareness, vaccination and screening.
Watch the full edition of Adevărul Live produced and moderated by Antoaneta Banu with Prof. Dr. Radu Vlădăreanu, Primary Obstetrics-Gynecology Physician, Head of the Elias Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic and President of the Romanian HPV Society. Learn all the important information about HPV vaccination.
2024-03-05 08:56:29
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