Cervical cancer – access to vaccination far from equal…

[15 January 2010 - 09h37]

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have identified some important obstacles in their country to HPV vaccination– the vaccination that helps protect women against cervical cancer. These obstacles relate to disparities in income levels but also often to the ethnic origin of the women concerned.

Many women choose not to have their daughters vaccinated for fear of secondary effects and/or inability to meet the costs of vaccination (which are considerable in developed countries) – all of which is generally linked to a lack of information.

In the United States, two thirds of mothers from migrant populations have heard about HPV vaccination but, unfortunately, this is often the full extent of their knowledge. As a result, only one in three feels sufficiently well informed to make a decision. More worrying still, in the case of Koreans and Chinese, this figure is only 15%. On the other hand, more than one African American in every two feels that they have a good grasp of the subject … yet only 30% actually know where to go to get vaccinated. Ethnic origin therefore appears to play a leading role.

By contrast, GAVI – the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation – plans to fund HPV vaccination in disadvantaged countries. Preadolescent girls who have never had sexual relations must be vaccinated as a priority, the WHO International Cancer Research Centre at Lyon recommends. This will enable us to provide protection for as long as possible during the early years of their sexual life.

Source : American Association for Cancer Research ; Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, Houston (Texas), 6-9 décembre 2009 ; The Lancet, 2 décembre 2009.

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