Only one vaccination is very effective against HPV

A single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine has been very effective and has been shown in a randomized controlled trial of 2,275 women in Kenya.

The current standard for women is a triple dose regimen.

The findings could help the World Health Organization reach its goal of vaccination of 90% of 15-year-old girls with HPV by 2030, said Global Health Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Ruanne Barnabas says. study. “The effectiveness of a single dose was the same as that of multiple doses.”

Currently, only 15% of women worldwide are vaccinated against HPV.

“These findings are groundbreaking that can significantly reduce the incidence of HPV. Cervical cancer Sam Kariuki, deputy director of the Kenyan Institute for Medical Research, where the study was conducted, said:

Around the world, cervical cancer kills women every two minutes.

The findings further support the adoption of a single-dose HPV vaccine that may increase accessibility in low- and middle-income countries, and Peter, Deputy Director of Vaccine Development and Monitoring at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, funded it. Dal says. the study.

“The HPV vaccine is a powerful tool for reducing cervical cancer, but too many women and girls do not have access to them in low- and middle-income countries,” says Dal. “The results of the KEN-SHE study contribute to increased evidence supporting the potential for single-dose HPV vaccination.”

Most sexually active women and men are infected with HPV at some point in their lives, and some are repeatedly infected. The peak time to acquire an infection between both women and men is shortly after sexual activity.

Nine-tenths of HPV infections resolve spontaneously in two years, but other infections lead to cancer of the reproductive system, primarily cervical cancer. HPV also has cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, penile cancer, and Oropharyngeal cancer (Throat, tongue, tonsils).

Around the world, cervical cancer kills women every two minutes. Most of these deaths occur in Africa and account for 80% of the burden of cervical cancer. However, due to cost and limited vaccine supply, coverage is low in areas with the highest burden of cervical cancer.

In this study, researchers randomly assigned treatment to women aged 15 to 20 years and followed them from December 2018 to June 2021. To qualify, the woman had to be sexually active, have no more than five lifelong partners, and be HIV-negative. There is no history of HPV vaccination. Most of the enrolled people (57%) were between the ages of 15 and 17, and most reported only one lifelong sexual partner (61%).

Participants were randomized into three treatment groups:

• The 760 received a bivalent vaccine covering two strains of HPV (16/18), representing 70% of cases.
• The 758 received a non-valent vaccine covering seven strains of HPV (16/18/31/33/45/52/58), representing 90% of cases.
• The 757 was vaccinated to prevent meningococcal meningitis.

After 18 months, the bivalent vaccine was 97.5% effective against HPV 16/18 and the non-valent vaccine was 97.5% effective against HPV 16/18. The non-valent vaccine was 89% effective against HPV 16/18/31/33/45/52/58. Even if the woman was positive for one strain of HPV, the vaccine protected her from other strains of the virus.

Researchers say more research is needed to test how long the vaccine lasts.

“This test is Removal Of cervical cancer. It brings great hope to women living in sick countries like Kenya, “said Nelly Mugo, co-principal researcher for the study and senior clinical research scientist at the Kenya Medical Clinical Research Center. I am. Nairobi Institute. She is also an associate research professor of global health at the University of Washington.

Researchers say one of the driving forces behind this trial was the cervical cancer ward at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. They want to empty the ward.

“I believe that cervical cancer will go away in a lifetime,” says Marisiana Onono of the Kenyan Institute of Medicine. “Let’s do this. One shot for every woman!”

“KEN-SHE” research was published in the journal Evidence of NEJM..

Source: University of Washington