The Ministry of Health announced this Saturday (27/4) that it updated the list of people who can take the HPV vaccine on the public network. The government included patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a type of benign tumor that forms warts in the vocal fold region and is generally caused by HPV infections.
The inclusion was motivated by a series of scientific publications that demonstrate the benefits of the vaccine as an auxiliary treatment for patients with these benign tumors. In clinical trials, patients who were immunized against HPV had a reduced chance of having a tumor recurrence. The vaccine will be offered upon presentation of a medical prescription.
Treatment for RRP involves surgical removal of the warts, but they tend to reappear and in cases of recurrence the chances of a cure are lower, resulting in long, costly and painful treatments for patients. With HPV vaccination, the government hopes to reduce the number of procedures that people with the condition have to undergo.
Who can get vaccinated against HPV?
There are several vaccines that are given against HPV. Through the Unified Health System (SUS), the vaccine began to be offered in a single dose at the beginning of this month to prevent four types of HPV (6, 11, 16 and 18, those most associated with the risk of cancer). It is given to boys and girls aged between 9 and 19 years.
Victims of sexual abuse up to 45 years old, people living with HIV, solid organ or bone marrow transplant recipients or cancer patients with malignant tumors between 9 and 45 years old can also take the vaccine in public health. In these cases, three doses of the vaccine are given, with a booster at 2 months and the other at 6 months after the first dose.
On the private network, anyone under 45 can get the vaccine and there are even options that protect against a wider range of viruses.
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Tags: Ministry Health increases target audience HPV vaccine list
