Why Is HPV Vaccine Not Compulsory?
Positive Bioscience is very proud to be a present at ASCO Conference (American Society Clinical Oncology) conference in Chicago. It is the largest conference for clinical oncology (cancer) in the world. We are here as the EndoPredict data based on Indian Patients is showcased here. While we were here, there are a lot of talks and discussion on the HPV Vaccine. And it brought us to wonder “Why is the HPV vaccine not compulsory unlike the Polio vaccine?”
Basics on HPV
Human PapillomaVirus is a group of 200 viruses that is mostly spread sexually. HPV is either low risk (causes no disease) or high risk (causes diseases including cancer). HPV16 and HPV18 are the deadliest of the HPVs as they are causes to most HPV related cancer. HPV can be transmitted among sexual partners. Condoms may reduce the risk but may not prevent it.
Did you know?
- 80% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime.
- Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV
- HPV is a cause for Oral Cancer, Vaginal cancer, Anal Cancer, Penile Cancer, Oropharyngea Cancer and Vulvar Cancer.
- Almost 70,000 people in India die each year due to cervical cancer
- 80% of sexually active women get HPV by the age of 50
HPV Numbers for Indians
India has a population of approximately 365.71 million women who are above 15 years of age (thus at risk for cervical cancer).
Approximately 132,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed and 74,000 deaths annually in India.
That means India ALONE contributes to about 30% of GLOBAL CERVICAL CANCER DEATHS.
HPV Vaccines
The HPV vaccines protect against infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV). It is not a live virus so there is no scare of getting an infection from the vaccination. Statistics have shown there is a good benefit of taking the vaccine. The facts is in a group of women who took the HPV vaccine, there were 40% less casesof cervical cancer caused by HPV. And HPV types that cause most HPV cancers and genital warts have dropped 71 % in teens age girls. Thats a huge reduction.
Currently in India there are 2 HPV vaccines available:
- Quadrivalent vaccine (branded name is Gardasil)
- Bivalent vaccine (branded name is Cervarix)
Usually there should be 2 injections to be taking over 6 weeks. Ask your doctor for if taking HPV vaccine is a good option for you. Several factors including age and lifestyle should be considered.
Tip: With or without taking HPV vaccines, women should do regular screening (even if they are not sexually active) such as Pap smears and HPV test.
So the question really comes is why is HPV vaccine not compulsory? Or is there something unknown that makes this vaccine not that amazing as everyone is making it sound?
Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385284/#ref4
