UK  research scientists have announced that the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine is cutting cases of cervical cancer by nearly 90%, according to the first real-world data.

Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by viruses, and the hope is vaccination could almost eliminate the disease.

The researchers said the success meant those who were vaccinated may need far fewer cervical smear tests too.

Girls are offered the vaccine between the ages of 11 and 13, depending on where they live in the UK. The vaccine has also been offered to boys since 2019.

The study, published in the Lancet, looked at what happened after the vaccine was introduced for girls in England in 2008.

Those pupils are now adults in their 20s. The study showed a reduction in both pre-cancerous growths and an 87% reduction in cervical cancer.

“The impact has been huge,” said Prof Peter Sasieni, one of the researchers at King’s College London.

The reductions were less dramatic when older teenagers were immunised as part of a catch-up campaign.

This is because fewer older teenagers decided to have the jab and ideally it needs to be given before they became sexually active.

Overall, the study estimates the HPV programme has prevented about 450 cancers and 17,200 pre-cancers.

Prof Sasieni says that is “just the tip of the iceberg” because those vaccinated are still young to be getting cancer, so the numbers will only grow with time.

Screening

At the moment, women are invited for a smear test every three to five years to screen for cervical cancer.

But Prof Sasieni says there “definitely” needs to be a rethink after these results. He told me: “It should be a wake-up call to policy-makers, women will read this and think ‘why should I go for screening?’.

“I would hope we’d come back with a new screening programme, two to three times a lifetime and continue screening women who have not been vaccinated.”

This is not the final say on the HPV vaccination. There are still questions about how long protection lasts and whether there needs to be a mid-life booster.

There are also more than 100 types of human papillomavirus. The UK started using a vaccine that protected against two of them and is about to introduce one that protects against nine viruses, including the main causes of genital warts.

The cancer-causing versions lead to dangerous changes to the DNA of infected cells that transform them into cancer.

This can happen in any infected tissue. The viruses can be spread through vaginal, oral and anal sex, so are also linked to anus, penis and some head and neck cancers.

However, 99% of cervical cancers are caused by human papillomaviruses. It is why more than 100 countries have starting using the vaccine as part of World Health Organization plans to get close to eliminating cervical cancer.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist for the UK Health Security Agency, said the findings were “remarkable” and showed the vaccine “saves lives by dramatically reducing cervical cancer rates among women”.

Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s a historic moment to see the first study showing that the HPV vaccine has and will continue to protect thousands of women from developing cervical cancer.”

BBC

Africa imports 99% of its vaccines and the effects of the circumstance are baring a heavy burden on the communities on the continent.

Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, who was attending the G20 Summit in Rome as on behalf of NEPAD, the African Union Development Agency said that Africans represent nearly 18% of the world’s people, but less than 5% of Covid vaccine doses have reached the continent.

He said closing the gap has three components requiring active commitment by the G20, as has already happened, and that there must be consistent supply of vaccines for low-income countries to meet the target of 70% vaccination by mid-2022.

President Kagame said that after a slow start, Covax deliveries have picked up, thanks to increased pledges from different countries, among them the United States, the European Union, and its member states, among others.

However, he noted, Africa must begin building manufacturing capacity for vaccines. “Africa imports 99% of its vaccines. By 2040, we aim to produce 60%,” he told fellow world leaders. 

Today in Rome, President Kagame is attending the #G20RomeSummit where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Mario Draghi who currently holds the G20 Presidency. pic.twitter.com/5CgVgJWyye

— Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) October 30, 2021

This week, Rwanda and Senegal concluded agreements with BioNTech to build end-to-end mRNA vaccine production facilities, starting in mid-2022. Technology and know-how will be transferred to build the capacity of local companies, and the doses produced will be distributed in Africa.

“This is an important milestone in which the European Union and the African Union are also playing a key role.,” Kagame said. 

He insisted that there should also be continued strengthening of the World Health Organization and Africa CDC is critical, along with support for the new African Medicines Agency.

“We would also do well to implement the clear and actionable recommendations of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness, co-chaired by Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lawrence Summers, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,” he said.

#VaccinEquity is not just about sharing doses but also technology. Thank you my brother, 🇷🇼 President @PaulKagame, for working to scale up vaccine access in Africa by scaling up local production in #Rwanda. The #G20RomeSummit sent a clear message to strengthen local capacities. pic.twitter.com/wwcLVgba6J

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 30, 2021

President Evariste Ndayishimiye has warned health workers against ever thinking of staging any form of strike and threatened that he would deal with any such attempts with lethal force.

The Burundian leader issued the warning during the official launch of a marathon overhaul of Burundi’s health sector with the aim of improving health care in the highly isolated country.

Ndayishimiye inaugurated Saturday, September 11, 2021 the Musigati communal hospital in Bubanza province. It is the first hospital to be inaugurated as part of the program to transform health centers into municipal hospitals.

The Director General of OBUHA (Office Burundais de l’Urbanisme, de l’Habitat et de la Construction) explained to the President that out of the first batch of 37 municipal hospitals, 35 have already been completed.

With the transformation of the Musigati health center into a municipal hospital, the OBUHA added two new blocks, a pediatric ward and an adult hospital ward.

The Ministry of Public Health has assigned two additional doctors, native of the municipality, with a batch of drugs and medical equipment.

With the transformation of the Mabayi health center into a communal hospital, the OBUHA added two new units, a pediatric unit and an adult hospital unit.

During the inauguration of the Musigati communal hospital, First Lady Angeline Ndayishimiye offered gifts to mothers who had just given birth.

After the inauguration of the Musigati municipal hospital, Ndayishimiye congratulated the population of this municipality for this infrastructure equipped with medical equipment worth 400 million BIF.

He asked the staff to manage this material with due diligence and to provide quality health care to the population without ever threatening to go on strike.

President Ndayishimiye called on the population to protect themselves against diseases by respecting the rules of hygiene.

He has declared that he is the leader of the development.

In his strategy to fight against poverty Evariste Ndayishimiye said that it is necessary to put in place a leadership committed to serving the people, not corrupt.

“We must promote good governance, education and good health of the population, fight laziness and mobilize the entire population to work,” he said.

The Head of State affirmed that Burundi has all the assets to get out of poverty. He explained that Burundi has a subsoil rich in minerals, abundant water, fertile land and a Burundian people are intelligent. “Everyone just needs to get to work,” He said.

To fight against unemployment, the Head of State revealed that the government has placed particular emphasis on technical training. This is how a training center is being built in Karusi province. This is where young people can acquire a variety of professional skills that will enable them to compete in the labor market or to create their own jobs.

In his message on the occasion of the inauguration of the Musigati hospital, the Head of State protested against the embezzlement that characterized the construction of the Mpanda hydroelectric dam, whose work stopped while the state had already spent 50 billion FBu and the Kajeke hydro-agricultural dam, the work of which was poorly executed.

For the Head of State, the money spent on these two infrastructures must be recovered and returned to the public treasury. For the President of the Republic Evariste Ndayishimiye, the corrupt, the lazy and the thieves of public funds no longer have a place in Burundian society.