Scientists call for boys to be vaccinated against HPV to eliminate cervical cancer

Vaccination against human papillomavirus may be needed not only in girls but also in boys to eliminate cervical cancer, a new study suggests.

The virus, commonly known as HPV, is responsible for most widespread sexually transmitted infection in the world but Current vaccination campaign only Target girls.

Although the infection may remain asymptomatic and resolve naturally within two years in 90 percent of cases, its persistence can be dangerous. Causes cancer in some people,

HPV-induced cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with approximately 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths each year.

HPV vaccines, which have proven effective in reducing the spread of the disease and the risk of cancer, are currently offered and recommended in 147 countries.

But researchers say the best vaccination strategy to eliminate HPV-induced cervical cancer remains a matter of debate.

Now scientists have come up with a new mathematical model to help public health officials design more effective HPV vaccination programs.

The model is detailed in a new study published in the journal Bulletin of Mathematical BiologyEvaluated whether the recent HPV vaccination program in South Korea was sufficient to control cervical cancer.

The researchers found that vaccinating boys against HPV, along with ongoing efforts to vaccinate girls, could be important in eliminating cervical cancer.

“Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be effectively prevented by vaccines,” said study lead author Soyoung Park, of the University of Maryland. “It was important to test whether the recent government program to offer the vaccine will be enough to effectively control the disease in Korea.”

The new model incorporates demographic and South Korean cervical cancer data from 1999 to 2020 to predict how HPV spreads throughout the population.

South Korea’s national vaccination program, which began in 2016, vaccinates about 80 percent of the country’s girls aged 12-17, while another 30,000 women aged 18-26 receive “catch-up vaccinations” annually.

The model shows that these policies are insufficient to eliminate HPV and related cancers in the country.

“It is achieving the objective of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer, but it will not eliminate it. The objective is eradication,” said Abba Gumel, another study author.,

To completely eliminate cervical cancer, researchers estimate that the vaccination campaign should cover 99 percent of women in the country. But Dr Gumel said vaccinating boys “reduces the pressure to vaccinate large numbers of women”.

The study proposes to vaccinate 65 percent of boys in the 12-17 population group while maintaining the existing 80 percent female vaccination coverage. The study estimates that doing so would eliminate HPV-related cancers in South Korea within 60–70 years.

“The way to protect them is to surround them with a sea of ​​immunity,” Dr. Gummel said.

“We don’t have to lose 350,000 people globally to cervical cancer every year. If we improve vaccination coverage we can see an end to HPV and HPV-related cancers.”