However, less than two-thirds (63 percent) of the 600 parents surveyed in Austria in April are aware of the availability of a vaccine against cancer that is effective against cancer, according to the results presented in an online press conference by MSD on Tuesday afternoon. Only a few more (67 percent) have heard of human papillomaviruses, but three quarters of them state that they know that HPV can cause cancer. More than a third (37 percent) are unaware that HPV causes cancer in both women and men.
Europe comparison
Almost half of the mothers and fathers surveyed in Germany have already (23 percent) or want to (22 percent) have their child vaccinated against HPV. Eight percent stated that they had been vaccinated against HPV themselves. The survey was also conducted in Germany, Italy, Slovenia, France, Portugal, Sweden and Romania. While two out of five respondents in Austria, according to their own estimates, know enough about HPV, the figure is over 60 percent in Italy, Slovenia and Romania. In Italy and Portugal, more than 30 percent also state that their child has already been vaccinated against HPV.
The survey shows increased awareness of HPV among parents in Europe, commented Xavier Bosch, HPV expert from the Catalan Institute of Oncology. “However, more needs to be done to reprioritize the general vaccination and screening programs,” he said, referring to the corona pandemic, in which routine health checks and vaccinations have been disrupted.
Reliable Sources
For 87 percent of the parents surveyed in Austria, it is rather or very important to vaccinate their child against diseases other than Covid-19. 13 percent consider this to be not important or not very important. Of these, two-thirds cited concerns about the safety of vaccinations as the reason. 62 percent of all respondents in Austria said that due to the pandemic they were more careful that their child received certain vaccinations apart from the corona vaccination. However, 39 percent believe that there is too much information about vaccinations due to the crisis, and a fifth even feel “overwhelmed” by it.
“Over the past two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for parents to navigate the vast and complex amount of information on vaccines. It’s also no longer easy for parents to decide who to trust,” said Esra Urkmez, Patient Advocate at the European Network of Gynecological Cancer Advocacy Groups (ENGAGe). Parents must continue to use reliable sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and should discuss this with healthcare professionals, the expert recommended.