28.03.2024 – 10:31
German cancer aid
Bonn/Heidelberg (ots)
In Germany, 7,850 people are diagnosed with cancer every year that is caused by an infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). An HPV infection is wrongly associated with a purely “women’s disease”. Men can also become infected, pass on the virus and develop symptoms. But willingness to vaccinate in Germany is low. Vaccination is the only reliable way to protect yourself from an HPV infection. The German Cancer Aid and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) therefore join the call of the Chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) Klaus Überla for comprehensive HPV vaccination programs in German schools.
Although around 85 to 90 percent of all people become infected with HPV over the course of their lives, in Germany only around half of 15-year-old girls and a quarter of boys of the same age are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Germany has been lagging behind other European countries for years. “We are leaving a very relevant prevention opportunity unused in Germany. There has been a vaccination against the virus for almost twenty years. The HPV vaccination is safe, highly effective and very well tolerated,” says Gerd Nettekoven, CEO of the German Cancer Aid.
The German Cancer Aid and the DKFZ welcome the call from Klaus Überla, chairman of STIKO, for voluntary HPV vaccination offers in German schools. These programs would offer an excellent opportunity to allay children, young people and their parents’ skepticism about this vaccination, as initial pilot studies in Bremen and Hesse have already shown. “The Germans are very positive about HPV vaccination in schools. A representative survey by the DKFZ* recently showed that over two thirds of those surveyed were in favor of a voluntary vaccination offer in schools,” says Michael Baumann, CEO of the DKFZ. A large proportion of HPV-related cancers could be prevented through widespread HPV vaccinations.
There is currently no alternative to vaccination. In addition to the two most common high-risk HPV types, HPV 16 and HPV 18, modern vaccines protect against seven other HPV types. Two large studies from Sweden and Great Britain unequivocally prove the benefits of this vaccination. Both studies independently show that the risk of developing cervical cancer is almost ninety percent lower if girls are vaccinated against HPV as early as possible.
In addition to cervical cancer, HP viruses can also cause cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, anal area, mouth and throat and non-cancerous genital warts. Statutory health insurance companies now cover vaccination for all children and young people between the ages of 9 and 17.
*The DKFZ commissioned the market research company Kantar to conduct a multi-topic telephone survey in 2022 and 2023. 2,013 (2022) and 1,004 (2023) people aged 14 and over were asked about their attitude towards regular, voluntary HPV vaccination in schools.
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German Cancer Aid Foundation
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Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
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Strategic communication and public relations
German Cancer-research center
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German cancer aid
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Original content from: German Cancer Aid, transmitted by news aktuell