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A recent study published in the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Weekly Report pointed out that the HPV vaccination rate in mainland China is increasing year by year, but there is still a certain gap between the vaccination rate target needed to eliminate cervical cancer. This study, jointly carried out by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, measured the HPV vaccination rate among women aged 9~45 years in mainland China from 2017 to 2022. The study suggests that in order to achieve the goal of eliminating cervical cancer, the mainland needs to include HPV vaccination in the immunization program to increase the HPV vaccination rate of all age groups and reduce regional differences.
In recent years, the mainland has made great efforts to increase the HPV vaccination rate. In November last year, the National Health Commission and 13 other departments announced the "Healthy China Action - Cancer Prevention and Control Action Implementation Plan (2023-2030)", which clearly stated that the scientific publicity of HPV vaccination should be strengthened, the vaccination of appropriate age groups should be promoted, and the HPV vaccination should be included in local policies to benefit the people in areas with conditions. Accelerate the review and approval of domestic HPV vaccines, ensure the supply of HPV vaccines, improve access to vaccination, and ensure the vaccination of appropriate age groups through multiple channels. The study also reminds us to see the gaps, face up to the shortcomings, and continue to make efforts from multiple dimensions to speed up HPV vaccination.
First, the current high price of HPV vaccines limits the sustainability of free HPV vaccination for school-age girls in many pilot areas, as well as the feasibility of providing free HPV vaccination in a wider area. Therefore, the government should encourage the research and development of more domestic HPV vaccines at the policy level, and at the same time learn from the national centralized drug procurement method to exchange quantity for price, so as to effectively reduce the price of vaccines while safeguarding the interests of enterprises.
Secondly, relevant studies show that more than half of the cervical cancer cases in mainland China come from rural areas, and women in these areas have poor awareness of cervical cancer prevention and treatment, and are less likely to actively seek cervical cancer screening. Therefore, HPV vaccination should also be prioritized in this segment of the population.
Finally, in the current situation of relatively tight vaccine supply, the single-dose HPV vaccination strategy provides a solution to the problems of alleviating the tight vaccine supply and reducing the cost of public health services, but there are few relevant studies, so there is an urgent need to innovate HPV vaccination strategy research, in order to obtain local population evidence of immunogenicity and safety, and provide evidence-based basis for formulating effective strategies.
It should be emphasized that HPV vaccination is not "insulated" from cervical cancer, and all women of appropriate age still need to be screened for cervical cancer regularly after vaccination. Therefore, it is necessary to uphold the scientific concept in publicity and avoid exaggerating the protective effect of HPV vaccine.
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Text: Zhang Lei
Editor: Yang Zhenyu
Proofreading: Ma Yang
Review: Qin Mingrui, Xu Bingnan
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