The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the inclusion of Cécolin as the fourth single-dose vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV). This decision is based on new data meeting the criteria established in the 2022 WHO recommendations on the alternative and off-label use of medicines. HPV vaccines on schedules.
“This important advancement will improve the sustainable supply of HPV vaccines, which will allow us to reach more girls and prevent cervical cancer», noted the WHO. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the organization, emphasized that “unlike many other cancers, we have the ability to eliminate the cervical cancer and put an end to the painful inequalities it generates. Adding another single-dose vaccination option brings us closer to relegating this disease to the
HPV is responsible for more than 95% of the 660,000 annual cases of cervical cancer worldwide. A woman dies every two minutes from this preventable disease. 90% of these deaths They occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The introduction of HPV vaccines has faced obstacles since 2018, mainly due to global supply shortage. One manufacturer’s production difficulties in 2024 have worsened the situation, affecting the vaccination of millions of girls.
The goal of WHO’s global strategy is to vaccinate 90% of girls before the age of 15, explained Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s immunization department. “With supply issues still present, adding single-dose vaccines provides more options to vaccinate more people.”
The recommendation to use a single dose of Cécolin It has already been included in the second edition of the WHO technical document on the choice of HPV vaccine products. When there is data supporting a modified use and the public health benefit is clear, WHO may recommend a use not originally contemplated on the product label, pending updating.
Recent data, released on July 15, 2024, indicate that coverage of one dose of HPV vaccine among girls aged 9 to 14 increased from 20% in 2022 to 27% in 2023. As of September 2024, 57 countries had already implemented the single HPV vaccine. -doses, which made it possible to vaccinate six million children.
Earlier this year, commitments of more than $600 million were announced to eradicate cervical cancer. Among the donors, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationwith 180 million dollars; UNICEF, with 10 million; and the World Bank, with 400 million. These funds, along with continued support from Gavi, will accelerate HPV vaccination and increase coverage through 2030.
Can men get HPV?
Certainly yes. Men get HPV when you have relations with a woman or man who is also infected. Concerning uterine cancer, they become transmitters of the virus to other people. This means that if we avoided infection in men, we would significantly reduce transmission in women (and in men who have sex with men) and, therefore, we would also reduce all diseases of the genital tract derived from this same infection. infection, underlines the Sanabria clinic. Men who have sex with other men constitute a group particularly exposed to the risk of suffering infections and tumors secondary to HPV, and that is why some autonomous communities have specific programs for their funded vaccination, such as c This is the case of Andalusia or Madrid.
