Maester of Drugs: HPV vaccine - for your Girl Child

HPV vaccine - For the GIRL CHILD

What is HPV?

Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) is a common virus which transfers from person to person from skin to skin contact during sexual activities. HPV infections are common in late teens and early 20s and most go unnoticed with no symptoms. among the 40 different types of HPV about 20 may cause cervical cancers in women and also cancers associated with vulva, anus, penis and oropharynx in both genders.

Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 women die from this disease in the U.S.

Cervical cancer is the second common cause of cancer deaths causing nearly 80% of deaths in developing countries. It has been globally estimated that almost 12% of all female cancers are cervical cancers.

In Sri Lanka, it is estimated that 7.52 million are at risk of developing cervical cancer, 1395 cases with 11.8 age specific standardized rates and 814 deaths (International Agency for Research on Cancer).

How to prevent HPV related cancer?

there are basically two ways to prevent the HPV related cervical cancer

1. Screeneing for HPV cancer

this is also called the pap smear test and is recomended for the women of age 21 - 65 and in Sri Lanka test has been conducted in women for the past two decades. All women at the age of 35 years (or above) are offered one time screening at the well women clinics conducted by Medical Officers of Health and the tests should be done once in 3-5 years.

2. Getting the HPV vaccination

The primary target population is likely to be girls within the age range of 10 to 13 years who are not sexually active by the time of the vaccination.

Vaccination of secondary target populations of older adolescent females or young women is recommended only if this is feasible, affordable, cost effective, and does not divert resources from vaccinating the primary target population or effective cervical cancer screening programmes, and if a significant proportion of the secondary target population is likely to be naive to vaccine-related HPV types.

The most important point to be remembered is the vaccine doesnot provide any therapeutic benefit if you are already infected or diagnosed with cervical cancer.