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Mahesh

19/01/24 07:22 AM IST

The importance of periodic testing for Human Pappilomavirus

In News
  • Cervical cancer, which develops in a woman’s cervix is the second-most common cancer among women in India.
  • It is caused by persistent human papillomavirus infection.
  • Almost all sexually active people are infected by HPV at some point in their lives, but usually without symptoms, the World Health Organisation (WHO) states
Cervical Cancer
  • Cervical cancer, which develops in a woman’s cervix (the entrance to the uterus from the vagina) is the second-most common cancer among women in India.
  • It is caused by persistent infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
  • India accounts for nearly a quarter of all cervical cancer deaths in the world.
  • It is estimated that every year around 1.25 lakh women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and nearly 75,000 of them die.
  • In 2022, the WHO adopted a strategy aimed at eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem, worldwide.
  • The strategy had three pillars – 90% of girls fully vaccinated by 2030 with the HPV vaccine, this to be done by age 15; 70% of women screened with a high-performance test between 35 and 45 for early treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, and 90% of women identified with cervical disease, to receive treatment.
Concerns in India
  • The awareness continues to remain low, and even in urban areas where women come forward to do the test, it is difficult to get them to come back for follow-up screenings.
  • Many women believe that if they’ve taken the pap smear once, it is enough for a lifetime, but this is not the case.
  • As of 2019, the WHO says, fewer than one in 10 women in India had been screened for cervical cancer in the previous five years.
  • HPV DNA testing is the recommended method for screening for cervical cancer: this involves testing cells from the cervix for infections with any of the HPV types that could cause cancer.
  • The WHO, too, recommends that HPV DNA testing be the first-choice screening method for cervical cancer prevention – these tests are less prone to quality problems and human errors.
Vaccine
  • Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer if detected early and managed effectively.
  • The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) says that the HPV vaccine is highly effective for the prevention of HPV serotypes 16&18, which cause 70% of cervical cancers.
  • There are currently two vaccines available in India that protect against the disease: Merck’s Gardasil and Serum Institute of India’s Cervavac, which was launched last year.
  • In 2018 Sikkim became the first State in the country to introduce the vaccine.
  • The vaccine (Gardasil) was provided free, under the State budget. All girls aged between 9 and 14 years were given two doses, separated by six months.
  • Coverage of the first and second rounds was reported at over 95%.
  • In 2022, India’s National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) had recommended introducing the HPV vaccine in the country’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
  • A one-time catch-up vaccine was to be provided for 9 to 14-year-old adolescent girls, and subsequently, with a routine introduction at nine years.
  • Globally, 100 countries have introduced the HPV vaccine into their national schedule, but significantly, this covers only 30% of the global target population, as per the WHO.
Source- The Hindu

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