Medical conclave urges stronger push for gender-neutral HPV vaccine for boys
Panelists said that govt backs vaccination for girls under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), but boys and men, who are carriers of the virus, are equally affected by HPV and cancer-causing HPV and hence must also be vaccinated.
Speakers emphasised that HPV is not limited to cervical cancer alone. It is also associated with cancers of the sexual organs, affecting both men and women. With peak HPV infection occurring between ages 15 to 25, early awareness and timely preventive action are essential.
Medical director of Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College & Hospital Dr Sanjay Lalwani, who anchored the panel discussion, said the indigenous vaccine, Cervavac, is effective, safe and affordable.
He added, "It is a gender-neutral vaccine and boys must also get vaccinated. While women can be screened regularly through a pap smear test, as of now men do not have any screening programme. So, boys between the age of 9 and 14 years must also be vaccinated, just like girls."
Vaccination can protect partners from HPV-related cancers in adult life. There is no specific way to test directly for HPV in men that is approved for clinical use.
The American Sexual Health Association has observed that men are typically screened clinically with a visual inspection to check for lesions such as warts.
While still not routinely done, anyone with a history of receptive anal sex may want to speak with his or her healthcare provider about having an anal pap test, the association said.
Dr Meenu Agarwal, secretary-general of International Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy, said, she sees young girls and women with genital warts and cervical cancer cases.
"Now, when we go to the root of the problem, we realize that it is a sexually transmitted disease and that is the reason we need to vaccinate both boys and girls because we need to take care of the source of the spread."
The rationale is to prevent different types of cancers that can occur in men as well, Dr Shirish Kankariya, former president of Indian Academy of Paediatrics, said.
Parag Deshmukh, executive director, Serum Institute of India said, "Conclaves across the country will help increase understanding of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to cervical and other cancers."
The conclave is part of a nationwide public health initiative led by the institute.
77k Cervical Cancer Deaths
India bears a significant burden of HPV-related diseases, particularly cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women in the country
According to the ICO/IARC Information Centre on HPV and Cancer (2023), India reports over 1.23 lakh new cervical cancer cases and more than 77,000 related deaths, annually
Up to 90% of anal cancers & 63% of penile cancers are associated with HPV
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