CERVICAL
CANCER - SCI & TECH
News:
Health Ministry yet to
take a call on beginning HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls
What's
in the news?
●
The Health Ministry maintained that it is
yet to take a decision on starting a vaccination campaign against the human
papillomavirus (HPV), despite reports that it is set to offer the vaccine from
the second quarter of this year.
Key
takeaways:
●
The
National Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended the
HPV vaccination for adolescent girls between the ages of nine and 14 years.
●
The Ministry had earlier said that in June
2022, after evaluating the fresh evidence on the cervical cancer burden and the
effectiveness of a single dose of HPV vaccine, including clinical trial data
and Sikkim’s experience with the vaccine, NTAGI recommended the vaccine’s
inclusion in the government’s universal immunisation programme.
●
This would involve a one-time catch-up shot for nine to 14-year-old adolescent girls,
followed by a routine introduction at nine years.
HPV
Vaccines:
●
The HPV
vaccination was first recommended in 2006, around 125 countries have introduced
HPV vaccines, offering access to one in three girls aged 9-14 worldwide.
●
Trials conducted in India and abroad have
results that show an 81% reduced risk of HPV-associated cancer in vaccinated
women.
●
The HPV vaccine protects against any
infection by the human papillomavirus, which can cause genital warts and
certain types of cancer, including cervical, anal, oropharyngeal, penile,
vulvar, and vaginal.
Effectiveness
of HPV Vaccine:
●
The World Health Organisation’s Strategic
Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has maintained that the HPV
vaccine is highly effective for the
prevention of HPV serotypes 16 and 18, which cause 70% of cervical cancer.
●
The vaccine not only targets cervical
cancer but also provides a shield
against related malignancies and genital warts
Go
back to basics:
Cervical
Cancer:
●
Almost all cervical cancer cases are
linked to certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is
transmitted through sexual contact.
●
HPV transmission is influenced by sexual
activity and age. Almost 75% of all sexually active adults are likely to be
infected with at least one HPV type.
●
However, a vast majority of the infections
resolve spontaneously and only a minority (<1%) of the HPV infections
progress to cancer.
●
While the body’s immune system usually
gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years, in a small percentage
of people the virus can linger over time and turn some normal cells into
abnormal cells and then cancer.
Cervical
Cancer in India:
●
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women
globally.
●
In India, cervical cancer is the second
most common cancer in women. India contributes the largest share of the global
cervical cancer burden.
●
According to a recent study published in
The Lancet, India accounted for nearly
one in every four deaths globally due to cervical cancer.
●
Current estimates indicate that every year
approximately 25 lakhs women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75
thousand dies from the disease in India, and 83 % of invasive cervical cancers
are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18 in India, and 70% of cases worldwide.
Vaccine
and Cervical Cancer:
●
Cervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease, as long as it is detected early
and managed effectively.
●
Most cervical cancers are associated with
the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine can prevent most cases of
cervical cancer if the vaccine is given before girls or women are exposed to
the virus.
●
Prevention through vaccination is one of
the pillars of the global strategy adopted by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) for the elimination of cervical cancer.
Cervavac:
●
Cervavac was developed by the Pune-based
Serum Institute of India in coordination with the Government of India’s
Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
●
CERVAVAC
is a quadrivalent vaccine, meaning it is effective against at least four
variants of cancer-causing Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
●
HPV vaccines are given in two doses and
the antibodies that develop after both are administered can last up to six or
seven years.
●
Unlike Covid vaccines, booster shots may
not be required for the cervical cancer vaccine.
Other
vaccines in India:
●
Besides Cervavac, two vaccines licensed
globally are available in India.
○
A quadrivalent
vaccine (Gardasil, marketed by Merck).
○
A bivalent
vaccine (Cervarix, marketed by GlaxoSmithKline).
●
Both vaccines are manufactured by
recombinant DNA technology that produces non-infectious VLPs (Virus Like
Particles) consisting of the HPV L1 protein.