2023-05-11 13:12:22
Would raising the age from 27 to 30 be the best solution?
“It is not so much that we want to raise the age limit to 30 or 80 years, but it would be nice if we could reimburse the vaccine for people who fall into a risk group. I’m talking about men and women who have already had HPV-related diseases, such as a precancerous stage of cervical cancer. If they are vaccinated afterwards, there is a smaller chance that it will come back. We advise these people to take a vaccine, but the costs for this – about 450 euros – cannot be borne by everyone.”
Is the vaccine less effective if you are older than 27?
“The older you get, the less well your immune system works and the less well your response to the vaccine is. That is a linear process, so that does not mean that the vaccine suddenly stops working when you are now 27. Moreover, it differs per person how well the vaccine works and what the effect is if you have it done at a later age. The reason the limit is now set at 26 is because studies have been done on HPV-naive women (who do not have HPV) up to the age of 26 and have shown that the vaccine has a good preventive effect. In older women, this is less significant and less clear.”
Steffanie (31) had several abnormal cells due to HPV: ‘I may have been walking around with it for years’
“It is also good to mention that the group that is now being ‘excluded’ has of course already been called up to get a vaccination, but did not take it in 2009 themselves. Still, I would like to see people over 26 still vaccinated. This is the group that has probably had the virus before, but the vaccine can still protect them against other variants or the same variant that can still come back.”
So the vaccine still works if you are already sexually active and have already had the HPV virus?
“The assumption that the vaccine only works if you are not yet sexually active stems from the idea that if you are already sexually active, you are often already infected with the HPV virus. The idea of the vaccine is that you are protected against all variants in the vaccine. If you have already had sex and contracted HPV-16, for example, the vaccine will still protect you against other variants of HPV. In addition, poor immunity can cause the same type to come back after you’ve already had it once. More and more studies have shown that the body clears the virus itself may not be true. It would remain latent and thus be suppressed by the immune system.”
How long does the vaccine work after you’ve had it?
“We don’t know that yet, but we see that it still works well since 2009. So it provides protection at least up to 14 years. We hope that it will provide lifelong protection, just like the hepatitis B vaccine, for example, but we don’t know that yet. But because it still works now, the people who were born after 1996, but who already had the shot 14 years ago, have now not received an invitation.”
What Are the Symptoms of HPV?
“Actually, there are no complaints, except getting genital warts with a low-risk HPV infection. Only if you have a precancerous stage of cervical cancer can you experience symptoms such as bleeding, but you certainly don’t have to. And because women who use the pill or an IUD also often have this, it is difficult to distinguish. The moment you have cervical cancer, there are clearer complaints such as more blood loss or abnormal discharge, but then you are already too late. That is why it is good that there is a population study that allows us to screen for precancerous lesions.”
Does the vaccine have side effects?
“Yes, just like with any vaccine you can get pain in your arm, it can turn red, you can get tired or get a little bit of a fever. It is not true that the vaccine can make you infertile. It boosts your immune system. It has nothing to do with your reproductive organ. Sometimes we are also asked whether the vaccine should be injected into the cervix, but that is not the case. It can just be done in your upper arm (or buttock if you want).”
Can HPV also cause fertility problems for a man?
“Real fertility problems have not really been demonstrated. However, in some cases it can lead to penile cancer, for example, although the area where it is in men is not so susceptible to developing cancer. Nevertheless, it is important that men get vaccinated, although this is mainly to prevent transmission to women.”
Is the cervical cancer vaccine the same as the HPV shot?
“Yes, that’s the same. Virtually every cervical cancer is caused by high-risk types of HPV, so if you’re protected against that, you’ll be protected against cervical and other cancers in most cases.”
What do you think is the best solution: a late vaccine or an early smear?
“I would prefer to have everyone vaccinated. Of course it is nice that we can do smears, but if they find something then you already have restless cells. If you’re sitting with me, you’re already too late. The chance of getting cervical cancer at a young age is small, but not zero.”
Can the vaccine become free for everyone?
“It will never be free. Either we pay it as a collective, or as individuals as we do now. There are of course many things that I would like to see become free, but in the end we all have to pay for them. It is a decision that the government makes and I fully understand that choices can be made. This makes staying healthy a privilege, because the people who cannot afford it run a greater risk.”
At LINDA.meiden we are working hard to have the age limit shifted to 30 years or the age for the smear test to 27 years. Do you agree with that? Then sign our petition here.
You responded en masse to our HPV file: ‘The invitation for the smear came two years too late’
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