HPV VACCINE - PUBLIC POLICY ON THE PREVENTION OF CERVICAL CANCER

Introduction and Objective: Infection by human Papillomavirus (HPV) is common and can affect the mouth, oropharynx, cervix, vagina, vulva, penis and anus. Some serotypes cause persistent infections, developing precursor lesions of cancer, especially cervical cancer. The objective is to compare the incidence of cervical cancer in Canada, where the vaccine against oncogenic serotypes of HPV has been offered by the public health system since 2007 and in Brazil, which adopted the vaccine in March 2014. Method: The collection and interpretation of data were obtained from the National Cancer Institute, Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Cancer Society. The collected data was obtained between December 2015 and January 2016. Results and Conclusions: The incidence of cervical cancer in Canada in 2015 was approximately 1,500 new cases, corresponding to the 11th most common cancer in the female population, whereas in Brazil, in 2015, it was approximately 15,590 new cases, corresponding to the 3rd type of cancer in the female population. It was noted that in Canada, where the vaccine is available for girls from 9 to 26 years old since 2007, and fully implemented in 2009, the incidence of cervical cancer was 90% lower than in Brazil, where the public health system introduced vaccination only in 2014. Condoms are still the main way of preventing HPV infection, but the free vaccination emerged as efficient and effective preventive measure in the programs for cervical cancer.