“India has proudly launched locally produced version of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine, CERVAVAC at an affordable price.”, “Cervical cancer vaccine to be rolled out this year for girls aged 9-14 yrs in India”. These are in the news, but unfortunately awareness of HPV vaccination is lacking even in the educated metropolitan population of India. This post looks at creating clarity on the FAQs around this vaccination.
HPV vaccine is a vaccine to prevent conditions caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This includes mainly cervical cancer and other cancers like cancer of vulva, vagina, anus, penis, mouth and throat. HPV also causes troublesome genital warts.
Cervical cancer prevention is the main benefit from HPV vaccination. Persistent silent HPV infections acquired sexually are the usual cause of cervical cancer. Some statistics implying the importance of cervical cancer (which is preventable through vaccination and screening) in the Indian context are :
No. HPV vaccine has been in vogue in developed countries from 2006 and has been available in India for over a decade. However, it has not succeeded in reaching the target population in India due to multiple factors
Ideally, we should be vaccinating girls in the age group of 9 to 15 years (before any kind of sexual exposure).
If missed in this age, catch up vaccination is recommended upto age of 26 yrs.
For those above 26 years, it is better to discuss with a gynecologist / physician to discuss the efficacy before going ahead.
In India routine vaccination in boys is not yet recommended (considering cost effectiveness as conditions caused by HPV are not as significant as cervical cancer in women). However, there are gender neutral vaccines available which one could opt for voluntarily.
HPV infection in males are mostly asymptomatic and could transfer to their female partners. Thus vaccinating boys is also important in eliminating cervical cancer in India. In males, persistent silent infection can cause cancer of throat, anus, penis, though not common.
Most of developed and many other developing countries are vaccinating boys as well, to protect from conditions caused by HPV other than cervical cancer and to contain cervical cancer.
The efficacy of the vaccine is long lasting and protects the person almost life long. The suggested dosage is as follows:
There are no major side effects of this vaccine recorded. There are multiple studies based on the data from the vaccine administration since 2006 and no major side effects have been identified. On the basis of these studies, WHO recommends HPV vaccine to be an integral part of the vaccination programs. Minor side effects like pain, soreness at the injection site are common which are self limiting and doesn’t require any treatment.
As of now, HPV vaccine is available in private hospitals and not available in government hospitals.
The available vaccines are :
Studies have shown that the vaccine does not harm the developing foetus. So, she can continue pregnancy. However, further doses of vaccine can be with held and continued after pregnancy. She need not start afresh.
There is no need to start with first dose again. Talk to your health care provider and complete the remaining course.
India has pledged to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030. To attain this goal, key elements are vaccination and screening. For this, creating awareness as well as making vaccines available and affordable is important. India has taken the first step by making an affordable vaccine which will be rolled out as part of national program. With an organized effort, we should be able to eliminate cervical cancer, the silent killer.
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