Record Volumes Of HPV Vaccination Of Girls Are Planned In Moscow - Dezdrav

Record volumes of HPV vaccination of girls are planned in Moscow - Dezdrav

According to the department, over the past two years, Moscow has significantly increased the purchase of vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV). In 2020, it is planned to vaccinate at least 56,750 girls 12-13 years old in the capital.

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This was stated by the chief physician of the Center for Medical Prevention of the Moscow Department of Health Oleg Filippov during the VI Congress of the Euro-Asian Society for Infectious Diseases. According to him, from 2009 to 2019, about 30 thousand girls were vaccinated against HPV in Moscow. Last year, the volume of vaccinations increased significantly: 15 569 girls were vaccinated, coverage was 18.2%. For the current year, it is planned to increase the vaccination of girls 12-13 years old by 3.5 times to 58%.

“The incidence of HPV infection is quite high. So, since 2015, the incidence of anogenital warts in Moscow ranks first in the overall structure of the incidence of sexually transmitted infections. Most often teenagers and young people are exposed to them,”said Oleg Filippov. The expert noted that there is still no specific treatment for HPV infection. At the same time, there is no virus-specific treatment for an infection caused by HPV, - said Oleg Filippov.

Susanna Kharit, the chief freelance children's immunization specialist in St. Petersburg, announced the need to include vaccination against the National Vaccination Calendar (NCPP). The expert noted that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20% of all women under 25 are infected with the virus, and in men, the HPV infection rate, depending on the region, ranges from 1% to 84%. According to the WHO recommendations, HPV vaccination should be routine, which means it should be included in national immunization programs, regardless of the economic development of countries.

“Human papillomavirus is a very common sexually transmitted infection and is contracted very early. The virus, infecting the epithelium, does not form pronounced inflammation, and the absence of inflammation leads to the fact that there is no adequate, intense immune response. But today there are highly effective methods of preventing human papillomavirus infection,”added Susanna Harit.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are the causative agents of the most common viral infection of the genital tract. Most sexually active women and men sooner or later acquire this infection, and some can become infected several times during their life, according to the WHO. In a small proportion of cases, certain types of HPV infections can become chronic and eventually lead to cervical cancer.