Health
EU Commission wants to advance the fight against cancer
According to the Robert Koch Institute, over 6,000 women and around 1,600 men in Germany develop HPV-related cancer every year. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The aim of the Brussels authority is for more people to be vaccinated as a preventive measure. There should also be improvements in the early detection of cancer.
The aim is for nine out of ten eligible girls and a significant proportion of boys to be vaccinated against HPV by 2030. The numbers should also improve in early detection. “Less than 50 percent of women between the ages of 50 and 69, the age group targeted by the screening programs, have had a mammogram in the last two years,” said Kyriakides, who says she has cancer herself .
“It’s difficult to tell people to change their lifestyle,” said the health commissioner. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be tried. “You have to do it without scaring people.”
Vaccination rate “worryingly low”
According to an analysis published in November by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit, vaccinations against certain cancers are declining among children and adolescents in Germany. This is particularly clear among 15- to 17-year-old boys, as an evaluation by the health insurance company of its insured persons showed. The professional association of pediatricians describes the vaccination rate as “worryingly low”. According to the Robert Koch Institute, over 6,000 women and around 1,600 men in Germany develop HPV-related cancer every year.
Kyriakides also announced that there would be a meeting with insurance companies and banks in February at which a code of conduct would be signed. This is intended to ensure that someone who was diagnosed with cancer 15 or 20 years ago is not discriminated against when accessing financial services. For example, those affected reported that it was difficult to get loans to buy a house because of cancer.