New study on HPV vaccine

In news- Recently, a new study has found that the HPV vaccine has reduced the risk of developing cervical cancer by 62 per cent in women between the ages of 14 and 16.

A note on the new study-

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK.
The study looked at all cervical cancers diagnosed in England in women aged between 20 and 64 years, between January 2006 and June 2019.
The study shows that the HPV vaccination in combination with cervical cancer screening reduces the cancer to a point where almost no one develops it.
It also shows that over a period of 11 years (since 2006), the vaccine prevented around 450 cervical cancers and around 17,200 cases of precancerous conditions.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine-

There are various types of HPV vaccines, including the quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil), which protects against four types of HPV (HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11).
All HPV vaccines protect against at least HPV types 16 and 18, which cause the greatest risk of cervical cancer.
The latter two strains cause genital warts.
The other kind of vaccine is the bivalent vaccine (Cervarix), which protects against HPV 16 and 18 only.
The third type is a non valent vaccine (Gardasil 9), which protects against nine strains of HPV.
These vaccines prevent cervical cancer in women and girls who have not yet been exposed to the virus.
Ideally, the vaccine should be administered before the individual makes their first sexual contact.
While for teenagers, the vaccine is administered in a two-dose regimen, for those between the ages 15-26, a three-dose regimen is used in the US.

HPV vaccination in India

India is home to 27 percent of total cervical cancer cases globally.
In India, bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines were licensed in 2008 and a non valent vaccine was licensed in 2018.
The Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Immunization (IAPCOI) recommends that HPV vaccines be given as a two-dose regimen, six months apart for girls below the age of 14 years.
For those who are 15 and older, the vaccine is given in a three-dose regimen.
There is no recommendation for HPV vaccines for boys and males in India yet.

What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?

HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract and there are more than 100 types.
It is mainly transmitted through sexual contact and most people are infected with HPV shortly after the onset of sexual activity.
It is sexually transmitted, but penetrative sex is not required for transmission.
Skin-to-skin genital contact is a well-recognized mode of transmission.
More than 40 types of HPV are spread through direct sexual contact.
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV and the vaccine protects against two of the cancer-causing strains, which are HPV 16 and 18.
Once infected, most people do not develop any symptoms, thereby are not aware that they have the virus.
In most cases, the body’s immune system will be able to clear the virus out, which means it won’t do any harm to the individual.
The infection with certain HPV types also causes a proportion of cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis and oropharynx.