Ninety percent of men and women will have in their lives at least one HPV-related infection. The great danger comes from the fact that this virus goes unnoticed but can cause oral and genital cancers, Monaco’s Government warned on Friday, January 19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer in the world, but also the fourth cause of cancer death in women.
Women are not the only ones affected: out of 10 cancers caused by HPV, four will affect men.
The vaccine that we offer to your child has been on the market since 2006 and is based on a classic technology, the Government says. This vaccine triggers the activation of defences against virus proteins to prevent the virus from entering the body. This vaccine is recommended by the WHO for both girls and boys.
It should also be noted that certain countries such as Australia, Argentina and Belgium are even in the process of completely eradicating cancers caused by HPV thanks to high vaccination coverage. For the record, since December 2023, vaccination against HPV has been reimbursed at 100 percent for all Monegasque social security holders.
The vaccine is as useful and recommended in girls as in boys, since both will be infected by the virus and may therefore develop cancer during their lives. Two doses spaced six months apart are necessary, without any subsequent booster; 2- the vaccine is all the more effective when the child has not yet had sexual intercourse, this is why it is recommended from the age of 11. Finally, the side effects of this vaccine have been studied for more than 10 years and on several continents, particularly with regard to the appearance of autoimmune diseases.
Of the hundreds of thousands of individuals in whom the vaccine has been tested across the world, the most common effects were mild, namely pain and slight redness at the injection site.
MORE INFO: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papilloma-virus-and-cancer
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Monaco Government
