HPV Vaccine Important for Boys and Girls Early on to Protect from Cancer

JAKARTA - The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is one of the most effective preventive measures to protect the body from various serious diseases, including cervical cancer and other cancers related to HPV infection.

This vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to be able to recognize and fight the virus before infection occurs. Giving vaccines from an early age, especially before a person is sexually active, has been shown to provide optimal protection and is an important part of public health efforts to reduce HPV-related cancer rates.

The Child Immunization Task Force of the Indonesian Association of Pediatricians (IDAI), Prof. Hartono Gunardi, emphasized that HPV vaccination is important not only for women, but also for men. This is because the vaccine plays a major role in preventing various types of cancer caused by HPV virus infection.

He explained that HPV is a very common virus, even almost everyone is at risk of being infected at least once in their lives.

"And unfortunately we are infected with this HPV virus once in our lifetime, and with the body's defense of about 90 percent we will recover on our own within one to two years after being infected with the HPV virus."

However, infections can become more serious if they occur repeatedly or when the body's resistance decreases, for example due to smoking habits or immune system disorders. In these conditions, the virus can stay longer in the body and increase the risk of complications.

HPV transmission not only occurs through sexual intercourse, but can also spread through non-sexual contact, such as skin-to-skin contact or contact between mucous membranes, including through the mouth.

"From a study on men, 10 percent of the male population can be placed that have HPV in their saliva. While in women, the prevalence is even less, about 3.6 percent contain HPV, they can be transmitted through the skin and mucous membranes. "

Furthermore, HPV is divided into two main categories, namely low risk and high risk. The low risk type generally causes genital warts and papillomas that can grow on the skin or mucous membranes.

In some cases, papillomas can also appear on the vocal cords or throat, which is often experienced by children with symptoms of a hoarse voice and discomfort when speaking.

Meanwhile, high-risk HPV is related to the appearance of precancerous lesions that can develop into cancer, such as cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and other genital areas.

"After becoming cancer, it can be in the vagina, in the cervix, or in the anus, and also in the labia. And the benign ones will cause warts on the skin or on the genitals," he said.

HPV infection usually occurs when the virus enters through a small wound or gap in the skin and mucous membranes. After entering, the virus will insert its genetic material into the body's cells and trigger changes that allow further spread, both to other parts of the body and to other people.

"The virus can then be transmitted back to other people or other parts of the body, that men and women can transmit to each other."

According to Prof. Hartono, vaccination is the main key in suppressing the spread of HPV. If only women are vaccinated, it will take a very long time, even up to 30-50 years, to significantly reduce the prevalence of the virus. On the other hand, if the vaccine is widely given to both men and women, the case reduction can occur faster, about 30 years.

"So if it's only women, especially if the vaccine coverage is not good, then the emphasis on reducing it will be very minimal, compared to full coverage and given to both men and women."

The role of parents is also very important in ensuring children get the HPV vaccine. Good education about the risk of the disease can increase awareness of the importance of early immunization.

"HPV vaccination is the most effective way to protect individuals from cervical cancer or HPV-related cancer. And the best immunization is given at the age of 9-14 years. "