In a new position paper published last week, the World Health Organization updated its recommendations for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. There is still no national vaccination program in Poland, but the president has signed an amendment to the Medical Fund Act, which will allow financing recommended vaccinations from this money.
WHO updates HPV vaccination schedule recommendations
Published Dec. 21, 2022 12:56
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As indicated by the WHO, a worrying phenomenon is the decrease in the number of HPV vaccinations worldwide in recent years. Between 2019 and 2021, coverage of the first dose of HPV vaccination fell by a quarter. The WHO now recommends a single or two-dose regimen for girls aged 9-14 and for girls and women aged 15-20, and two doses 6 months apart for women aged 21 and over. The primary target group of vaccinations are girls aged 9-14 years, before the onset of sexual activity.
Meanwhile, despite numerous announcements and assumptions of the National Oncology Network, there is still no national HPV vaccination program in Poland. Last Thursday (15.12.) President Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Medical Fund Act, in which it is written that the Ministry of Health has the right to finance recommended vaccinations from it. According to Deputy Minister of Health Maciej Miłkowski, the first people could already be vaccinated against HPV in the second quarter of next year. Free vaccination programs are already implemented by individual local governments from their own budgets. This is the case, for example, in Gdańsk, where free vaccinations are available for girls and boys aged 12.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in women, with more than 95% cervical cancer cases are caused by sexually transmitted HPV. Preventing the development of cervical cancer by increasing access to effective vaccines is a very important step in mitigating unnecessary disease and death.
