HPV
VACCINE - SCI & TECH
News:
Wave of new commitments
marks historic step towards the elimination of cervical cancer
What's
in the news?
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Governments, donors, multilateral
institutions, and partners today announced major new policy, programmatic and
financial commitments, including nearly US$ 600 million in new funding, to
eliminate cervical cancer.
Key
takeaways:
●
These commitments were made at the
first-ever Global Cervical Cancer
Elimination Forum: Advancing the Call to Action in Cartagena de India’s,
Colombia, to catalyse national and global momentum to end this preventable
disease.
●
Every
two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer,
although the knowledge and the tools to prevent and even eliminate this disease
already exist.
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Vaccination against human papillomavirus
(HPV) – the leading cause of cervical cancer – can prevent the vast majority of
cases and, combined with screening and treatment, provides a path to
elimination.
●
Cervical
cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide,
and continues to disproportionately impact women and their families in low and
middle-income countries (LMICs).
●
In an important shift, the World Health
Organization (WHO)’s 2022 global recommendation for one-dose HPV vaccine schedules significantly reduced barriers to
scaling up vaccination programs.
Human
Papillomavirus (HPV):
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HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, of which more than 40
are spread through direct sexual contact.
●
Among these, two HPV types cause genital
warts, and about a dozen HPV types can cause certain types of cancer.
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More than 95% of cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus.
Transmission:
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It is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally.
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It also
spreads through skin-to-skin contact.
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Once infected, most people do not develop
any symptoms, thereby not being aware that they have the virus.
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Most of the time, the body can find and
clear out HPV. But if the virus stays in the body for a long time, it can cause
cancer.
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Getting vaccinated against HPV helps
prevent cancer in men and women.
HPV
Vaccination:
●
The HPV vaccine is a series of shots that
can protect you from an HPV infection.
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It prevents HPV infections that can
progress to cancer or genital warts.
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The HPV vaccination is more efficacious if
given between the age group of 9-26
years.
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Once a person gets HPV, the vaccine may
not be as effective.
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The
HPV vaccine isn't given during pregnancy.
Go
back to basics:
Cervical
Cancer:
●
It starts in the cells of the cervix. The cervix is the lower, narrow end of the
uterus (womb).
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In a small percentage of people the virus
survives for years, contributing to the process that causes some cervical cells
to become cancer cells.
Causes:
●
Various strains of the Human
papillomavirus (HPV) play a role in causing most cervical cancer.
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common
sexually transmitted infection which can affect the skin, genital area and
throat.
●
When exposed to HPV, the body's immune
system typically prevents the virus from harming.
Types
of HPV Vaccines Available:
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Quadrivalent
vaccine (Gardasil): It protects against four types of HPV
(HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11).
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Bivalent
vaccine (Cervarix): It protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.
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Non-valent
vaccine (Gardasil 9): It protects against nine strains of HPV.
CERVAVAC
- India’s Indigenous Vaccine:
●
It is India’s first indigenously developed
quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV)
vaccine that is said to be effective against four strains of the virus -
Type 6, Type 11, Type 16 and Type 18.
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A quadrivalent vaccine is a vaccine that
works by stimulating an immune response against four different antigens, such
as four different viruses or other microorganisms.
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CERVAVAC is based on VLP (Virus-Like
Particles), similar to the Hepatitis B vaccination.
Approval:
●
The vaccine has received the Drugs
Controller GeneraI of India’s approval and has been cleared by the government
advisory panel NTAGI for use in the public health programme.
Significance:
●
It has a significant potential to
eliminate cervical cancer and it would be helpful if included in national HPV
vaccination efforts and offered at a lower cost than existing vaccinations.
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The vaccine is extremely effective only
when it's administered before the first sexual intercourse.