IF already before the pandemic in Italy vaccination with HPV was well below the threshold considered optimal, today the legacy of the coronavirus emergency makes the situation worrying: according to the data just published by the Ministry of Health relating to 2020, the vaccination coverage in girls born in 2007 is 58% and in boys 46%, while in the 2008 cohort only 30% completed a full cycle. To inform and sensitize the population on the importance of vaccination, the new awareness campaign “Did you book, right?”, Carried out by MSD and authorized by the Ministry of Health, kicks off today.
Papillomavirus: everything you need to know about testing and prevention
by Tina Simoniello
“Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most frequent sexually transmitted infection – says Giancarlo Icardi, Director of the School of Specialization in Hygiene and Medicine of the University of Genoa, former coordinator of the vaccines and vaccination policies group of the Italian Society of Hygiene and preventive medicine (SITI) -. It is estimated that 4 out of 5 people are infected with the virus in their lifetime, both men and women, and the absence of symptoms favors its spread. In about 80% of cases, HPV infection proceeds asymptomatically, because the body has the ability to eliminate the virus. In other cases, the immune system fails to defeat it, with serious consequences such as cancer ”. Generally, the time between infection and the onset of precancerous lesions is about 5 years, while the latency for the onset of cervical cancer can be decades. We have a very powerful weapon at our disposal: vaccination can prevent up to almost 90% of all HPV-related cancers in men and women.
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by Irma D’Aria
Every year in our country almost 6,500 cases of cancer are attributable to HPV: 2,365 to the uterine cervix, 1,900 to the oropharynx, 1,200 to the vulva, 500 to the penis, 300 to the anus and 200 to the vagina. “Papillomavirus is the second pathogen responsible for cancer in the world – explains Saverio Cinieri, Director of Medical Oncology and Breast Unit of the ‘Perrino’ Hospital in Brindisi and President-elect AIOM (Italian Association of Medical Oncology) – Vaccination is the weapon more important to defeat the neoplasms caused by HPV. Our scientific society supports the objectives established by the ‘Call to action’ promoted by the World Health Organization and the European Cancer Organization as well as by the ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’ of the European Commission: to erase cervical cancer (and all related Hpv ) by 2030. The actions to be implemented are precisely to vaccinate at least 90% of the target population and ensure that at least 90% of the target population has access to free cervical screenings. Australia by 2035 will become the first country in the world to eliminate HPV-caused tumors, Canada will reach the target in 2040 ”.
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by Tiziana Moriconi
A gap that must be filled as soon as possible
In the National Vaccine Prevention Plan it is highlighted how, on the basis of new and important scientific evidence, public health today aims to achieve vaccination coverage ≥ 95% for the maximum in girls and boys in the twelfth year of life. protection from all related HPV diseases directly preventable with vaccination. “The decline in annual visits and immunizations during the pandemic has caused a significant vaccination gap and delays in prevention services among children and adolescents around the world, especially with regards to immunization against Papillomavirus. Italy can become a virtuous example in Europe, but we must make up for the delays in vaccination programs accumulated in a year and a half of the pandemic as soon as possible ”, adds Cinieri.
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by Mara Magistroni
As foreseen by the 2007 State-Regions Agreement, the anti-HPV vaccination is offered free of charge and actively to girls in the twelfth year of life (eleven years of age) in all Regions and Autonomous Provinces starting from 2007-2008. In many regions, free admission is maintained up to the age of 18 and is also extended to other categories. In the 2017-2019 National Vaccine Prevention Plan and in the new Essential Levels of Assistance, free vaccination during the twelfth year of age is also provided for males, starting from the 2006 cohort. “Getting vaccinated is really simple. Two doses at 0 and 6 months are given for individuals up to 14 years of age, or three doses at 0, 2 and 6 months from 15 years. There is evidence that those under 25 are at greater risk of contracting the infection. Vaccination against the Papillomavirus is especially effective if carried out before the start of sexual activity, because it induces a better immune response before any infection with the virus. We urge the parents of adolescent boys and girls not to neglect the appointments of the vaccination calendar, because they can save lives ”, underlines Giorgio Conforti, Head of the Vaccines Area of the Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMP).
“The prevalence of the infection is higher in women between the ages of 20 and 24 – says Adriana Bonifacino, President of IncontraDonna Onlus -. The best known HPV cancer is that of the uterine cervix, the fifth most frequent cancer in the under 50s. Through vaccination it is possible to interrupt the chain that leads from infection to cancer at the origin and its extension to men allows for more protection. also the female population as well as the male population. Prophylaxis is also recommended in women from 25 years of age, using for the occasion the appointment with the first Pap Test. It is important in fact to increase not only vaccination rates, but also the levels of adherence to cervical cancer screening. . Depending on the program, a Pap test should be done every three years from the age of 25 or the HPV test every 5 years from the age of 30-35. The latter is able to detect precancerous lesions earlier, so it is sufficient to repeat it every five years instead of every three years like the Pap test. The pandemic, however, has also caused serious setbacks in screening. In 2020, almost 670 thousand fewer women joined the program than in 2019, with a decrease of 43%, and 2,782 non-diagnosed pre-cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix amounted to 2,782 “.
Countryside
The “Did you book right?” involves intense digital activity using the main channels (the Facebook and Instagram accounts of MSD Salute), with the aim of raising awareness of the possibility that every parent has, by informing themselves correctly, of protecting their adolescent children from dangerous diseases such as HPV-related tumors. In addition to the wide range of content available on the various channels, a new information portal will also be available – www.haiprenotatovero.it – full of useful and immediate information on HPV-related diseases and prevention opportunities, including the possibility of consulting maps. with the offers of anti-HPV vaccination in the various Italian regions. “I am really proud to be able to say that – once again – MSD is at the side of the Italian Public Health. Vaccinating to prevent HPV tumors is a great achievement in science, but there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of awareness and perception of the risk that these serious diseases can cause in the lives of people and our children in particular “, he declares. Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO of MSD Italia.
“Covid-19 – concludes Nicoletta Luppi – has had a significant impact on some vaccinations, including that against HPV, slowing down their administration. It is estimated, in fact, that in the last two years as many as 700 thousand girls and boys have been deprived of the opportunity to protect themselves with vaccination. In many regions, efforts are being made to recover postponed vaccinations during the toughest phase of the pandemic. For this reason, today, it is important to raise awareness of vaccination, also leveraging the use of social media which represent a very powerful tool for their ability to make an important message such as prevention go viral. We firmly believe that using channels such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube in the right tones and with the right languages - as we will do with ‘You booked, right?’ – can help establish a different contact with families, with children but above all with parents “.