From February, the HPV vaccination for children, adolescents and young adults from the age of 9 to 21 will be free of charge. This was announced in November 2022 by Health Minister Johannes Rauch and Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner together with Cancer Aid President Paul Sevelda at a press conference.
GRAZ SURROUNDINGS. HPV, that stands for The Human Papillomavirus and refers to a group of DNA viruses that can cause uncontrolled tumor-like growth when infected. The vaccination therefore serves to cancer prevention. Depending on the federal state, the free HPV vaccination can be obtained from general practitioners or vaccination centers. One of the proponents of HPV vaccination is Christian Schauer. Der St. Oswalder, gynecological oncologist in Gratwein-Straßengel, is former President of the Working Group for Gynecological Oncology (AGO for short).
MeinBezirk.at: The HPV vaccination has been widely discussed – why is it so important?
Christian Schauer: HPV is responsible for precancerous lesions that can lead to cervical cancer. According to AGO, around 7,000 operations have to be carried out every year due to these precancerous lesions. The result is a high level of suffering for the affected patients and considerable costs for the healthcare system. At least a high percentage of this could be avoided with the HPV vaccination.
New scientific knowledge show that the HPV vaccination both provides a high level of protection against cancer and can also be used after surgery for precancerous lesions in order to prevent the precancerous lesion from coming back again. The vaccination after a cervical disease protects two thirds against a recurring or new precancerous stage.
In Austria, around 400 women develop cervical cancer every year, and 98 percent of the cases can be attributed to an infection with the HP virus. The WHO has set itself the goal of eradicating cervical cancer by 2030, provided that the vaccination rate is 90 percent. In Austria, there has been a recommendation since 2007 to vaccinate girls and boys.
But infection doesn’t just affect women, does it?
no HPV affects both sexes. At least six different types of cancer are caused by HPV, three of which only affect men. Cervical cancer in women has already decreased due to good preventive care, but there is a rapid increase in pharyngeal carcinoma in men.
How does vaccination help?
They effectively prevent new infections. This is independent of age, although a vaccination program or a vaccination as early as possible proves to be more effective. Every woman over the age of 30 is strongly advised to have an HPV test, like the ones known Pap smears (Editor’s note: short for Papanicolaou, the cell smear from the cervix) works. However, it is much more effective in the early detection of cancer precursors. Another 60 percent of all cases of cervical cancer can be avoided with HPV testing.
What is the vaccination schedule?
The focus is on the nine to twelve year olds, the elementary schools. Early vaccination produces the best immune response. But even after that it makes sense, which is why the free vaccination program has been expanded. Vaccination makes sense even later, there is no upper age limit. Early vaccination can help.
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