In Germany alone, around 7,700 people develop HPV-related cancer every year. These include cervical cancer as well as cancer in the mouth and throat, in the anus and in the genital area. The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends vaccination against carcinogenic human papillomavirus for boys and girls aged 9 to 14 years. Missed vaccinations can be made up for up to the age of 17.
“Unfortunately, the HPV vaccination rate is alarmingly low: Less than 50 percent of 15-year-old girls and only a negligibly small proportion of boys are fully vaccinated against HPV,” states Gerd Nettekoven, CEO of German Cancer Aid. “There are various reasons for this: In Germany, there is still a lack of structures and strategies that automatically remind children and parents to be vaccinated. Many parents are simply unaware of the vaccine or have concerns about its usefulness.”
The German Cancer Aid is therefore funding an interdisciplinary project at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg: Scientists led by Professor Dr. Frank Rösl, head of the Viral Transformation Mechanisms department, and Dr. Katrin Platzer, head of the Heidelberg Science Lab at the DKFZ, are developing an interactive website whose content is scientifically tailored to parents on the one hand and children and young people on the other. Not only will it contain information about HPV, the risks of infection and the benefits of vaccination, it will also help users to put their vaccination plans into action. Among other things, the researchers use a special psychological method for this – so-called “mental contrasting”. The extent to which this approach proves to be effective will be tested in this study.
“Digital applications and, above all, the availability of professional and understandable information through smartphones and tablets are contemporary media that can be very helpful in the prevention of serious diseases such as cancer. So far, however, there has been a lack of sufficient scientific criteria and, above all, data on the extent to which such initiatives actually contribute to improving health,” explain Rösl and Platzer. “Our project will provide important insights that will also be relevant for other digital offers.”
background information
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is widespread and infects both women and men. They are often transmitted during the first sexual contact. Almost everyone becomes infected with the virus in the course of their life – the infection usually goes undetected and often goes away on its own. Currently, 12 of the more than 200 known HPV types are classified as carcinogenic.
Further information at: https://www.krebshilfe.de/informatieren/ueber-krebs/krebs-vorbeugen/hpv-impfung/
Individual information on HPV vaccination is provided by the INFONETZ KREBS of the German Cancer Aid (free telephone number: 0800/80708877).