The ASL of Frosinone launches an awareness campaign for vaccination against HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) mainly responsible for cancers among the very young

Not just Covid vaccines. The ASL of Frosinone, which has always been at the forefront of vaccination activity, launches an information and awareness campaign for vaccination against HPV, the Human Papillomavirus that particularly affects the youngest sections of the population.

An important weapon that can prevent about 90 percent of cancers caused by HPV, yet vaccination coverage in our territory is, to date, still too low.

We talk about it with the Coordinator of the Vaccination Service of the ASL Dr. Maria Gabriella Calenda.

Dr. Calenda, whatis HPV (Human Papilloma Virus)?

It is a very common virus, whose sexually transmitted infection is among the most widespread in industrialized countries and affects, in equal measure, both sexes.

It is primarily responsible for the onset of cancers of the cervix, anus, vagina and vulva, penis, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and is also responsible for genital warts. There are numerous serotypes of HPV identified by a number: the most frequent are HPV16 and HPV18 which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers.

In general, Papillomavirus is the second pathogen responsible for cancer in the world. Once the infection is contracted, the papilloma virus remains in the tissues and related lesions can appear after many years.

Why start with an awareness campaign for the Papillomavirus vaccination?

In our daily activity, in recent years, we have witnessed a progressive reduction in adherence to this vaccination due to an underestimation by the population of the extreme severity of the disease that we are going to prevent with the vaccine.

The papillomavirus vaccination campaign began in Italy and in our Region in 2008 and, while for the first birth cohorts affected by the active and free offer of the vaccine (years 1997 and following) optimal vaccination coverage was achieved, even up to 95%, gradually the adherence decreased to reach the minimum during the pandemic period.

The Covid health emergency has led to a decrease in access to services for all vaccines throughout Italy, in particular for those in the adolescent segment, and, among these, the papillomavirus vaccine is the one that has suffered the most in terms of adherence, exposing the unvaccinated population to the risk of communicable diseases.

In our Region, and in our ASL in particular, the problem is less obvious but in any case we consider it necessary to take action to draw attention to very serious diseases, non-Covid, for which we have a safe and effective vaccine that can save many lives.

How important is vaccination and how many doses does it consist of?

It’s critical. Vaccination with the 9val vaccine (for 9 high-risk serotypes) prevents Papillomavirus infection and can prevent up to 90% of HPV-related cancers.

The vaccination cycle includes:

2 doses from 11 to 14 years
3 doses from 15 years onwards

Vaccination is:

free for subjects of both sexes from 11 to 25 years (for males, starting from the 2006 birth cohort) and for all subjects already treated for pre-cancerous lesions
to participation of expenditure for persons over 25 years of age

The ASL has long been trying to raise awareness among the younger population because vaccination coverage, to date, is still too low to protect the exposed population and defeat this pathogen responsible for very serious neoplasms.

In addition to the vaccination programme, it is essential to adhere to cervical cancer (UCT) screening, active throughout the Lazio Region and also in the ASL of Frosinone, which allows early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention.

Where can I get vaccinated?

Vaccination can be carried out at our Vaccination Centres, upon reservation: