Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in South Africa, despite the disease being largely preventable through vaccination and regular screening. Each year, around 10 700 women in South Africa are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 5 870 lose their lives to the disease. It is mainly caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Almost everyone who’s sexually active will be exposed to HPV at some point, often without even knowing it.
Most strains are harmless and disappear on their own, but a few high-risk types can cause genital warts or develop into cancers of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, mouth/throat, and penis. But vaccination is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers.
In South Africa, HPV vaccination is available in schools to girls in Grade 5. This programme aims to vaccinate them before they become sexually active and are likely to be exposed to the virus.
The government’s free school-based HPV vaccination programme is free of charge, but it only covers girls. For those falling outside of this target group, the average cost for an HPV vaccine in the private sector is R900 per dose, not including the healthcare provider’s fee for administering the shot. Some medical aids may cover part or all of the cost. Dr Bonolo Mashishi, a Senior Clinical Virologist and Lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Health Sciences, explains who else should consider getting vaccinated against HPV.
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Besides young girls, who else should consider getting the HPV vaccine?
HPV vaccines are gender neutral and approved for adolescent boys and girls from age 9 years before they become sexually active. In well-resourced settings, the vaccine is recommended for both boys and girls. However, where resources are limited, guidelines such as those of the World Health Organisation, recommend vaccination of girls for the prioritisation of cervical cancer prevention.
According to The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), the HPV vaccine is recommended not only for adolescent girls and women up to the age of 26 but also men who have sex with men and men with compromised immune systems (including HIV), up to the age of 26, if they haven’t been fully vaccinated when they were younger.
It’s not routinely offered to people over 26, but adults aged 27 to 45 can choose to get it after speaking to a healthcare provider. At this age, the benefit is reduced because many people have already been exposed to HPV, but it may still help in some cases, according to CANSA.
The vaccine prevents new HPV infections. It doesn’t treat ones you already have. It works best when given before any exposure to the virus, which is why younger ages are the focus.
Where and how can people in South Africa access the vaccine?
HPV vaccines are available in some doctors’ rooms, retail pharmacies and through school-based vaccination programmes.
How many shots are recommended?
The majority of guidelines recommend that two doses of the HPV vaccine be given. Recently, however, the World Health Organisation has made provision for the use of a single dose. South Africa offers the two-dose vaccine with at least five months between each dose. – Health-e News
