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The Government announced that girls aged 12 and 13 could be vaccinated against HPV, the virus which causes cervical cancer, in a national vaccination programme.
Dr Loretta Brabin, Reader In Women’s Health, Manchester University, said:
“I am very pleased that this vaccine is going to be introduced. It is important to know that things won’t change overnight and we will change the cervical screening programme gradually.
“Vaccinating adolescents is the right move, as this is the group where it will have the most impact. If it was given to a catch up group, I would have concerns about the capacity of some primary care trusts to implement this. The best way to implement would be to immunise through schools.
“I work with parents and adolescents, and I know that they are very interested in HPV vaccine. It is important that work is done with parents and adolescents give them good information about the vaccine. As vaccines go, clinical trials data show that this in one the best in terms of how well it works – it gives almost 100% protection against the virus.”
Anne Szarewski, Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, said:
“This is really exciting news. This group of girls very lucky to be the first get the benefits of this vaccine. It has the potential to save many lives and will be a great step forward for women’s health.
“It should be stressed that cervical screening will need to continue for at least twenty years, particularly for those women who have the vaccine after the onset of sexual activity, as they may not derive as much benefit as those who are vaccinated before they start having sex.”
Dr Jenny Best, Emeritus Reader in Virology at King’s College London, said:
“The DH have made a rapid decision on use of this vaccine, as a number of international trials have shown that the vaccine prevents infection with the HPV types associated with cervical cancer. There is currently little information on the duration of immunity, but once the immune system has been primed it is likely that immunological memory will remain, to allow a rapid immune response on contact with the virus.
“Currently the HPV vaccine is expensive, but the cost should come down if widely used. Three doses are required. Thus, it is an expensive vaccine and therefore cost-benefit analysis is essential. The use of this vaccine will impact on the NHS cervical screening programme. In the future, as cervical abnormalities decrease with use of the vaccine, it may be more cost effective to screen women for high risk HPV infection and to do the cytology only on those who are HPV positive.
“This would be better for laboratories as the HPV test can be automated, while the cytology test is very labour intensive and results are subjective.
“There are more than 100 human papillomaviruses (HPVs), some are associated with skin lesions such as warts and verrucas while others infect the cervix and other genital sites. There are more than 15 HPVs associated with cervical cancer and the current vaccines contain only 2. That is why the DH says that only 70% protection will be provided. However it is likely that there is some cross protection given by the 2 types included.”
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and Woman’s Health Spokesperson for the Royal College of GPs, said:
“I am delighted to hear that the Department of Health has recommended that vaccination be incorporated into the national vaccination programme. 70% of all causes of cervical cancer are caused by the two forms HPV against which one vaccination offers complete protection.
The cervical screening programme will continue to be hugely important in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in this country, but HPV immunisation offers a real step towards freedom of anxiety for this horrible condition.”
Professor Adam Finn, Professor of Paediatrics at University of Bristol Medical School, said:
“It’s encouraging that JCVI are supporting this vaccine in principle. It is of course sensible to do a cost-benefit analysis but it’s to be hoped that it will be done as quickly as possible.”
Dr Nick Hallam, Medical Virologist at Royal Preston Hospital, said:
“Today’s press release regarding HPV vaccination is a very encouraging news. I hope that a catch-up campaign for older girls and young women will also be recommended in due course, in line with the vaccine’s European licence.”
Dr Sheila Graham, University of Glasgow, said:
“Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease worldwide and in some cases this can lead to cervical cancer. The new anti-HPV vaccine has proved very effective indeed in clinical trials. I firmly believe use of this vaccine will have a major impact on reducing rates of infection and lowering the incidence of cancer in women.”