The incidence of cervical cancer in Bulgaria is 28.7 per 100,000 women, compared to an average for the European Union of 13.4 per 100,000 women. The mortality rate in our country is also twice as high, according to the data for 2018.
They were quoted today by Deputy Director of the Regional Health Inspection in Burgas, Dr. Zivka Kostadinova, who presented the National Program for Primary Prevention of Cervical Cancer 2021-2024.
Another bad news is that the trend in Europe is towards reducing the incidence, while in Bulgaria it is the exact opposite and it is increasing with each passing year.
At the same time, our immunization against this type of cancer in our country lags significantly behind European countries. For example, in the Burgas region in 2020, 142 doses were given to 80 girls aged 12 and 13, and in 2021 the doses were even less – 123.
For this reason, the Ministry of Health launched a broad information campaign and the possibilities of primary prevention through immunization against human papilloma virus (HPV). It is being held for girls aged 10 to 13 and will involve doctors, pharmacists and the media. The goal is for the messages to reach parents who need to make an informed decision for their children.
Materials have already been prepared and they will be distributed to target groups so that this policy of protecting public health through vaccination can be promoted and made available to all concerned, who can be reassured that they are making the right decision.
The vaccine administered under the program is Gardasil 9 and contains nine serotypes of the human papillomavirus.
To build up effective protection, two doses are needed, which are given every six months. Vaccination coverage should be consistent with the interval between 10 years of age and 13 years 11 months and 29 days, Dr Kostadinova explained.
„The vaccine helps the body protect itself from infection with the human papilloma virus by stimulating the formation of specific antibodies that bind to the virus and prevent it from entering the cells. It has been firmly established that the vaccine contains no genetic material and cannot cause infection or cause cancer. These are particles of the envelope of the virus that can provoke the immune system to build antibodies and be able to rely on this protection when the body encounters the virus.“
She clarified that the Hepatitis B vaccine, which has been successfully applied in our country since 1993, works on the same principle.
It is also important that the immunization is given before the start of active sexual life, when the conditions for infection have not yet been created in the girl concerned.
Dr. Kostadinova pointed to statistics from other countries that have more experience with the implementation of the vaccine and that are already reaping the benefits of the good results achieved in recent years. A study in Sweden, for example, showed that in more than 1,600,000 girls and women, the use of the vaccine showed that the risk of cervical cancer was 88% lower compared to the unvaccinated. The data from England, Scotland and Australia are similar.
„Such programs exist in 156 countries, which means that Bulgaria will not experiment, but can rely on the experience of other countries and be motivated enough to make this program happen with greater success.“
She also commented on the usual speculation regarding production, ensuring that this type of vaccine has long been tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials before being approved for use. The doctor also dispelled the myth, spread mostly among the Roma population, that the preparation could cause infertility in girls.
Dr. Kostadinova called on general practitioners, midwives, pharmacists and the media to take an active part in spreading the campaign to reach parents. According to her, vaccines alone were one of the appropriate health interventions and economic investments for society that have led to significant reductions in morbidity, mortality and disability in the population of previously common infectious diseases.
