In the video: Human papilloma viruses – This cancer is caused by viruses
Human papilloma viruses occur on the skin and mucous membranes. They are harmless to most people. However, of the approximately 200 types of HPV, there are 14 more aggressive types, some of which are associated with certain cancers such as cervical, anal, penile, vulvar, vaginal and throat cancers.
Human papillomaviruses are primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. If these high-risk HP viruses establish themselves in the genital tract, they can cause tumors. Other, more harmless types cause unsightly but harmless warts.
Crucial discovery by a German researcher
The German researcher Harald zur Hausen discovered the connection between HPV and cancer in 1976. Thirty years later, the first vaccine based on his findings at the time came onto the market. For this he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008. The introduction of vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) around 15 years ago was a groundbreaking advance in cancer prevention.
Now, for the first time, it is showing that countries that started vaccination campaigns quickly and achieved high vaccination rates were able to defeat an aggressive form of cancer. Aggressive cervical cancer has disappeared in Scotland.
This is shown by data from Public Health Scotland, the country’s top health authority. There has not been a single case of cervical cancer among women who have been vaccinated against HPV since 2008. “We have looked at the data from the screening program again and again,” Timpothy Palmer, head of Public Health Scotland, told Welt am Sonntag.
Germany is hesitating in the fight against the aggressive tumor
Germany cannot build on these successes. Every year in this country, around 6,250 women and 1,600 men develop new HPV-associated carcinomas, according to a report from the Robert Koch Institute.
The most common form is cervical carcinoma, the malignant tumor of the cervix. Around 4,500 women develop it every year. One in three dies from it, often not until middle adulthood.
Scotland has beaten cancer, Germany has not – how can that be?
In contrast to many other countries, there was no nationwide vaccination campaign in Germany. This is also why parents are cautious; there is a lack of information, brochures and education.
According to the Stiko recommendation, girls between the ages of nine and 14 should be vaccinated against HPV, but boys of this age can also benefit from the vaccination. The virus can also cause other types of cancer and men and women can infect each other.
Vaccination rate in Germany “worryingly low”
An analysis published in November by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit shows that HPV vaccination rates among children and adolescents in Germany have declined sharply. This is particularly clear among 15 to 17-year-old boys, as an evaluation by the health insurance company of its insured persons showed. The professional association of pediatricians describes the vaccination rate as “worryingly low”.
The successes in Scotland and other countries are now also calling the EU into action. The EU Commission wants to campaign for more vaccinations against cancer with immediate effect. The goal is for nine out of ten eligible girls and a significant proportion of boys to be vaccinated against HPV by 2030.
The numbers should also improve in early detection. “Less than 50 percent of women between the ages of 50 and 69, the age group targeted by the early detection programs, have had a mammogram in the past two years,” said Kyriakides, who said she had cancer herself.
How can women protect themselves from cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is preventable. Young people in particular benefit from early vaccination protection, emphasizes the Professional Association of Gynecologists (BVF). A vaccination significantly reduces the risk of illness, especially if it is given to children and adolescents.
From the age of 20 until old age, the association urgently advises all women to undergo annual cancer screening in the gynecologist’s office. In this way, precursors or early stages can be identified in good time and treated better.