The 90-70-90 targets were established by WHO and must be met by 2030 to continue. 90% of girls receive their final HPV vaccination by age 15.
Human papillomavirus is the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection and causes 99.7 per cent of cervical cancer. Dr Kavya Priya Vazrala, Laparoscopic Surgeon & Infertility Specialist, Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, shares that all the over 205 HPV types have been isolated, a relatively small number of types deemed high-risk HPV that has been attributed to cervical cancer and subsequently found to cause the majority of anal, vaginal, oropharyngeal, vulval and penile cancers.
The first-generation vaccines developed against HPV targets HPV type 16 18. Bivalent vaccine Cervarix targets only HPV 1618 quadrivalent vaccine targets HPV 1618 6 and 11. However, although all the first-generation vaccines are effective in immunizing against their targeted HPV types, women are still exposed to other high-risk HPV, which causes 30% of cervical cancer.
So, second generation nonavalent HPV vaccine developed which is effective against HPV 31,33, 45, 52,58 along with 6,11, 16,18. The recommendation of HPV vaccines should be given at 11 or 12 for boys and girls who have not been vaccinated before age 26. Boys receiving vaccinations have fewer cervical, mouth, and anal cancer cases. The new recommendation says it can be given to men and women until 45, in two doses for 6 to 12 months. Vaccination is recommended for women aged 26 yrs even if the patient tested HPV DNA positive.
HPV surface components, and in the future, encounter HPV binding to the virus and prevent it from infecting cells. Side effects of HPV vaccines are pain, redness, swelling in the arm where the shot was given, fever, dizziness, headache, nausea, and muscle or joint pain; very rarely, severe allergic reactions might occur.
India's first indigenously developed vaccine is cervavac, a quadrivalent vaccine targeting HPV 16,18,6 and 11, which costs only 200 rupees. The doses for less than 15 years are 0 and 6 months; for those above 15 years, the doses schedule 0 1and 6months. So both girls and boys should be taking it.
