Vaccine against human papillomavirus EFE
Santander (EFE) Cantabria begins this month to vaccinate 12-year-old children against the human papillomavirus, a vaccine that until now was only administered to girls.
As of May 22, it will be possible to make an appointment at health centers for the vaccination of boys and girls who turn 12 this year, with a two-dose schedule.
The vaccine that will be inoculated in Cantabria is the nine-valent one, indicated to protect against the genotypes that cause approximately 90 percent of the pathology related to the human papillomavirus (HPV) in Spain, explained the Ministry of Health in a statement .
The boys will be vaccinated for the first time and the girls will have greater protection, because until now they received the bivalent vaccine. In addition, vaccination is maintained for people with risk conditions, with a three-dose schedule.
The Public Health Commission agreed in October 2022 to introduce vaccination against this virus in boys at the age of 12 throughout the national territory before the end of 2024.
The most frequent infection
Genital pathology due to HPV is the most frequent sexually transmitted infection in the world. In fact, it is estimated that 91 percent of men and 85 percent of women who have sex will have at least one HPV infection in their lifetime.
The vast majority are asymptomatic and are eliminated spontaneously. However, infections by oncogenic genotypes that persist over time are associated with the development of precancerous lesions and cancer.
Furthermore, persistent HPV infection is a necessary, although not sufficient, cause of cervical cancer. Its causal relationship has also been established, although in a variable fraction, with other cancers such as those of the vagina, vulva, anus and penis, and of the head and neck area (oropharynx, oral cavity and larynx).
a growing trend
According to Health, there is an increasing trend in the incidence of HPV-related squamous cell carcinoma of the anus and head and neck cancers worldwide. In Spain it is the latter, oro-garynx cancer, which has increased the most.
The information related to this vaccine and the rest of those included in the Cantabria vaccination calendar is available in the Cantabrian Health Service guide located on its website. https://www.scsalud.es/portal-de-vacunas
