Adolescentes serão vacinados contra o vírus do papiloma humano, causador de câncer (HPV): O programa de vacinação será ampliado para cobrir 12- e meninos de 13 anos na Inglaterra

Meninos com idade 12 e 13 na Inglaterra serão vacinados contra o vírus do papiloma humano, causador de câncer (HPV), O governo disse. A decisão, anunciou na terça-feira, vem depois da Comité Misto sobre Vacinação e Imunização (JCVI) recomendada na semana passada that the HPV vaccination, que protege as meninas contra o câncer do colo do útero, deve ser estendido para meninos. Seguiu-se a apelos crescentes para o programa de inoculação para ser expandido.

O vírus do papiloma humano (HPV) está ligado ao câncer cervical e 5% de todos os cânceres fotografia em todo o mundo: BSIP / UIG via Getty Images

HPV has emerged as the leading cause of throat cancers and is linked to 5% de todos os cânceres no mundo todo, including some that affect only men.

Announcing the decision, the public health minister Steve Brine said: “As a father to a son, I understand the relief that this will bring to parents. We are committed to leading a world-class vaccination programme and achieving some of the best cancer outcomes in the world – I am confident these measures today will bring us one step further to achieving this goal.”

HPV is linked to cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oral (mouth and throat) cancers, as well as genital warts.

Mais que 30 people in Britain are diagnosed with oral cancers every day, with incidence rates increasing by 23% over the last decade. It is one of the fastest rising types of cancer and has a higher incidence among men.

The HPV vaccination was developed a decade ago and has been used to inoculate UK schoolgirls since 2008, saving hundreds of lives, according to Brine.

Girls are offered the vaccine from the age of 12 ou 13, although there is an opportunity to be given the vaccine up to the age of 18. A vaccination programme was recently introduced for men who have sex with other men.

Dr Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisations at Public Health England, disse: “Almost all women under 25 have had the Vacina contra HPV and we’re confident that we will see a similarly high uptake in boys.

“This extended programme offers us the opportunity to make HPV-related diseases a thing of the past and build on the success of the girls’ programme, which has already reduced the prevalence of HPV 16 e 18, the main cancer-causing types, by over 80%.”

O Departamento de Saúde and Social Care said England would become one of a small number of countries to offer the vaccination for both girls and boys. The Scottish and Welsh administrations committed last week to expand HPV inoculations to boys.

Mick Armstrong, the chair of the British Dental Association, said he hoped the decision marked a turning point in the government’s approach to prevention.

“When our NHS faces such sustained pressure from so many preventable conditions, from cancers, to tooth decay and obesity, this sort of cost-effective intervention must not be a one off," ele disse.

“Health professionals need this breakthrough on HPV to mark the beginning, and not the end, of this government’s willingness to invest in prevention.”

Prof Margaret Stanley, from Cambridge University’s pathology department, said immunising men would also give additional protection to women as “it takes two to tango”.

Fonte: www.theguardian.com, by Haroon Siddique