(Montreal) While we were busy vaccinating the population against COVID-19, the other vaccination campaigns were put on hold. But in the case of HPV, Quebec announces that it has already caught up.
As we prepare to mark International Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Awareness Day on March 4, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) has confirmed to The Canadian Press that the operation catch-up is over.
In 2020, Quebec began administering one dose of the HPV vaccine to students in grades 4e primary year and a second dose to 3rd graderse secondary.
However, with the arrival of the pandemic in March 2020, vaccination was immediately put on hold.
Then, a catch-up operation was launched to vaccinate young people who missed their appointment with immunization against HPV, of which there are more than 200 different types.
According to data provided by the MSSS, vaccination coverage for the 2021-2022 school year is estimated at 80% for students in 4e primary year and 3rd graderse secondary.
However, it is the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cohorts that have undergone a catch-up operation. It seems to have proven to be very effective since the coverage rates reach 75.5% (2020-2021) and 76% (2019-2020) among young people aged 3e secondary.
Data is even better for 4th graderse primary year with vaccination rates of 85.9% (2019-2020) and 84.2% (2020-2021).
The current vaccination schedule calls for elementary school children to first receive a dose of the Gardasil® 9 vaccine. Then, 60 months later, in 3e year of high school, they receive a dose of the Cervarix® vaccine.
These vaccines are given to girls and boys. According to the information available on the portal of the National Institute of Public Health, most types of HPV “are not accompanied by any visible signs”, while others can cause genital warts in particular.
“The deadliest types of HPV can cause different cancers, including cancers of the cervix, anus, oropharynx, penis, vulva, and vagina,” warns- we.
It is also possible to have HPV without showing any visible signs, but possibly developing cancer related to the virus.
These viruses are transmitted during sexual intercourse. Vaccination is the best means of protection, in addition to wearing a condom.
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