In Bulgaria, only two thousand girls aged 10-13 have been vaccinated against human papilloma virus, said Dr. Kremena Parmakova

In Bulgaria last year, only two thousand girls aged 10-13 were vaccinated against human papilloma virus, said Dr. Kremena Parmakova during a seminar dedicated to vaccines, within the framework of the celebration of the European Immunization Week. According to her, the beginning of this year saw an increase in the number of vaccinated girls, she also said and pointed out that about 500 doses are administered per month, and one vaccine contains two doses. The immunization coverage against human papilloma virus among young girls in Bulgaria was 22% in 2013, with the level falling to 1.5% by 2023, she also pointed out. The vaccine for girls aged 10-13 is free, she recalled and pointed out that on the free market its price is close to BGN 500, Dr. Parmakova added.

The national program for primary prevention of cervical cancer is valid for 2021-2024, and the new program is expected to be defended before the Ministry of Finance. Against the background of this low scope, there is a risk that the Minister of Finance will refuse to allocate funds for the new program, and this risk should not be underestimated, said Dr. Valeri Tsekov, chairman of the Bulgarian Society for Innovative Medicine. According to him, it is necessary for society to show that there is a place for this program and to increase the reach of young girls. Dr. Tsekov urged parents who want to vaccinate their daughters to seek information from their personal physicians.

In the National Program for Primary Prevention of Cervical Cancer 2021-2024, the strategic goal is to reach 90% vaccination coverage of girls aged 15 by 2030. Achieving 80% coverage among girls will reduce the risk of HPV infections among boys, Dr. Parmakova added.

162 countries in the world have a national cervical cancer vaccination program. In Europe, 39 countries have a national vaccination program, and 30 of these countries are from the EU and the European Economic Area, she added.

According to WHO data, the coverage with vaccine against human papilloma virus among girls in the countries of the European region is 31%, pointed out Dr. Parmakova. According to her, the vaccine reduces by 88% the incidence of infections with human papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, 18 among women aged 14-19, annually halves the incidence of genital warts among young women in countries with high immunization coverage, reduces the incidence of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma in women aged 15-20 years.

Country experience shows that in the UK there has been an 86% reduction in cancer-causing human papillomavirus infections among women aged 16-21, in Australia, between 2005 and 2015, the proportion of people infected with human papillomavirus fell from 22.7% to 1.1% among women aged 18-24, in Scotland there was an 89% reduction in pre-cancers among vaccinated women, in Sweden there was an 88% reduction in the risk of breast cancer the cervix among vaccinated girls, etc.

A causal relationship between vaccines and the onset of autism, multiple sclerosis or other autoimmune diseases has not been proven, the doctor added.

All cases of cervical cancer in Europe in 2020 resulted from infection with a high-risk type of human papillomavirus. Cervical cancer is defined as a cancer of the young, as it is the second most common cancer among women aged 15-44.

The population’s trust in institutions is low, the knowledge of medical specialists should be increased, changes should be introduced in the training programs of medical students, access to vaccines should be made easier for those who wish, etc., Dr. Parmakova added.