Prevention of cervical cancer: the doctor spoke about the role of HPV vaccination and regular screening

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of cervical cancer, one of the most common cancer pathologies in women worldwide. Many countries that have implemented HPV vaccination have demonstrated a positive impact of the vaccination campaign, says Veronika Vysotskaya, head of the epidemiology department of the Republican Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health.

She clarified:

- Rates of infection with the most dangerous HPV serotypes (16 and 18) among young women aged 20 years decreased by 80 percent, the risk of precancerous diseases decreased by 60-70% among young women compared with the pre-vaccination period.

Let me give you some illustrative examples. In Australia, a free program for girls was launched in 2007, and the vaccination campaign was later extended to boys. The prevalence of oncogenic HPV types 16 and 18 in youth fell from about 20 percent to about 1 percent. Among women under 25 years of age recorded zero incidence of cervical cancer! In the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, with vaccination coverage of more than 70-80% of adolescents, there was a decrease in precancerous changes by 70-90% in cohorts vaccinated before the age of 15 years. World practice shows that in countries where at least 80% of adolescents have been vaccinated, not just a decrease in HPV circulation is noted in dynamics, but the real disappearance of precancer and cancer in young women. Should women in Belarus be screened for precancer and cervical cancer if they are vaccinated against HPV? As Veronika Vysotskaya emphasizes, vaccination and screening are complementary measures. The vaccine reduces the risk of contracting oncogenic HPV types, but does not protect against all types and does not treat existing changes. Screening detects precancer at an early stage when treatment is most effective and remains a mandatory procedure for all women.

Since 2025, vaccination against human papillomavirus in Belarus has been included in the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations, the main target audience is girls aged 11 years.