HPV vaccine: the benefits are proven
The beneficial effect of HPV vaccination is manifested even at the age of twenty
Dmitry Kolesnik, Copper News
A new study published in the British Medical Journal demonstrates the early benefits of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). Scientists have determined that routine vaccination of girls under the age of 13 in Scotland, carried out since 2008, led to a sharp decrease in the number of cervical diseases by the age of 20, including diseases that increase the risk of developing cervical cancer later in life.
There are over 100 different types of HPV. Most of them do not give any symptoms, some can cause irritating but harmless warts on the hands, feet or genitals. However, there are also types of HPV that cause changes that can eventually lead to the development of cancer. They are associated with almost all cases of cervical cancer, as well as a significant proportion of cases of cancer of the mouth, throat, anus and penis.
Until recently, there was only a vaccine against the two most common types of high-risk HPV, but it was recommended only for teenage girls. Over time, the possibilities of using the vaccine have expanded, as well as the number of HPV types that it protects against. The latest version of the vaccine protects against seven high-risk HPV types that cause approximately 90% of cases of cervical cancer (along with two types that cause genital warts). Now vaccination is recommended for both boys and adult men, and women under 45 years of age.
Nevertheless, vaccination in childhood gives the greatest benefit, since HPV is easy to get infected at the beginning of sexual activity. In many countries, including the United States, the level of childhood HPV vaccination is still extremely low. However, in Scotland, routine vaccination of girls was carried out en masse, thanks to a state-funded program, which makes it possible to assess its effects at the national level.
Scientists studied the data of more than 130,000 women from Scotland who underwent cervical examinations at the age of 20. Then they compared the data of women vaccinated against HPV in childhood with the data of older women vaccinated later and with the data of unvaccinated women born in 1988.
They found that compared to unvaccinated women, those who were vaccinated against HPV in childhood were much less likely to develop any disease associated with the growth of abnormal cells in the cervix. Most importantly, the prevalence of cervical dysplasia decreased by almost 6%. And this is very important because this condition puts women at the greatest risk of developing cervical cancer.
In women vaccinated at an older age, the incidence rate was higher than in those vaccinated in childhood, but lower than in those who were not vaccinated at all.
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