According to a study, almost one in three men worldwide is infected with at least one human papillomavirus (HPV). This shows the importance of including men in vaccination strategies, as some of the viruses are carcinogenic or carcinogenic.
One studypublished on Tuesday (15 August) in the leading scientific journal The Lancet was published came to this conclusion. She estimates that the global pooled prevalence of genital HPV infection in men is 31 percent for all HPV and 21 percent for high-risk HPV. Estimates are based on data from 65 studies conducted between January 1, 1995 and June 1, 2022.
“Sexually active men, regardless of their age, are an important reservoir for genital HPV infection,” the study found.
The results underscore the need to include men in comprehensive HPV prevention strategies. This will reduce HPV-related morbidity and mortality and ultimately help achieve elimination of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted viral infection worldwide, with most sexually active men and women experiencing at least one genital HPV infection at some point in their lives.
Over 200 types of HPV can be sexually transmitted, and at least 12 types are carcinogenic or cancer-causing.
Although most HPV infections in both men and women are asymptomatic, they can lead to other serious health problems, such as: B. to cervical cancer and to penile, anal and oropharyngeal cancer.
In the EU, cervical cancer is second only to breast cancer second most common cancer in women aged 15 to 44 years.
Every year there are around 33,000 cases of cervical cancer and 15,000 deaths in the EU. The main cause of cervical cancer is persistent infection of the genital tract by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).
How important vaccinations are
HPV vaccines have been available in the EU since 2006 and over time have become more accessible in Europe and worldwide. There are currently three prophylactic HPV vaccines approved for use in Europe: a bivalent, a quadrivalent and a ninevalent vaccine, depending on the number of HPV types they carry.
The Eurosurveillancereport Commends the general move by countries in the EU and the European Economic Area towards a gender-neutral HPV vaccination strategy that includes men, although some countries continue to vaccinate women only.
“The indirect protection provided by vaccinating girls with suboptimal uptake” is not “sufficient to adequately protect men,” the report said. Also, this strategy does not take into account men who have sex with men. Vaccination of both sexes protects “against a sudden drop in vaccine uptake” and would be more effective in curbing the spread of the virus in the population, the report’s authors said.
The EU push to eradicate cancer, including vaccine-preventable cancers, is already underway and includes HPV.
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, launched in 2021 and considered “one of the key pillars of the European Health Union,” calls for at least 90 percent of girls to be vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 and for boys to be vaccinated by up to 2030 will be increased.
The Commission is expected to third quarter of 2023 will present an EU Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers, which will address cancers other than HPV, such as the hepatitis B virus. These measures include removing physical barriers to vaccination, targeted communication, and combating misinformation and disinformation.
Dem implementation roadmap According to them, the vaccination plan is already in place and being distributed, and the roadmap will be updated in the coming months.
[Bearbeitet von Nathalie Weatherald/Kjeld Neubert]