The Ministry of Health expanded, on Wednesday (6), the target audience suitable for HPV vaccination (Human papillomavirus).
The offer of the immunizer was extended to the immunosuppressed male population . From now on, men up to 45 years old, transplanted, cancer patients or living with HIV/AIDS can be vaccinated. According to the folder, the traditional three-dose schedule will be adopted, regardless of age.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that there are 9 to 10 million people infected with the virus in Brazil. Approximately 700,000 new cases of the infection arise each year.
The change considers the risk about four times greater of developing cancers associated with HPV among people living with HIV/AIDS and transplanted than in the population without the disease or transplant.
According to the ministry, chronic immunosuppression is also one of the main risk factors for the infection and persistence of HPV in the body.
Who can get vaccinated:
- Girls from 9 to 14 years old;
- Boys from 11 to 14 years old;
- Immunosuppressed men and women, aged 9 to 45 years, living with HIV/AIDS, solid organ or bone marrow transplant recipients, and cancer patients
The quadrivalent HPV vaccine contributes to the prevention of cancers related to HPV 16 and 18; of cervix; vulva and vagina; penile cancer and oropharyngeal and anal cancers in men and women, in addition to genital warts in both sexes related to HPV 6 and 11.
about HPV
HPV is a virus, with different types, that infects the skin or tissues of the mouth, genitals or anus, in men and women, and causes anogenital warts and can lead to the development of cancer, depending on the type of virus. The disease is considered a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI).
HPV infection has no symptoms in most people. In some cases, the virus can remain in the body for months or years, without showing visible signs or presenting manifestations that are not noticeable.
However, the drop in the body’s resistance can lead to viral multiplication and cause the appearance of lesions. The first manifestations of the infection appear between about 2 to 8 months, but it can take up to 20 years for any signs to appear.
The diagnosis of HPV is performed through clinical and laboratory tests, depending on the type of lesion.
The treatment of warts consists of destroying the lesions. Regardless of treatment, lesions may disappear, remain unchanged, or increase in number or volume.
Source: CNN Brasil
