Cancers caused by HPV on the rise as vaccination rates lag

Share this Story : Cancers caused by HPV on the rise as vaccination rates lag Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Cancers caused by HPV on the rise as vaccination rates lag Get the latest from Elizabeth Payne straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Elizabeth Payne Published Nov 21, 2024 • Last updated 46 minutes ago • 3 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. An Ottawa student receiving an HPV vaccination to protect against cervical cancer in this file photo.

Photo by Wayne Cuddington / POSTMEDIA Article content Ontario’s HPV vaccination rates are too low at a time when cancers related to HPV (human papillomavirus) are on the rise, according to a national medical women’s group that advocates for women’s health. Dr. Chloe Rozon, an Ottawa-based resident physician in obstetrics and gynecology said vaccination rates in Ontario and the rest of Canada need to be higher.



Rozon is a member of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada’s HPV task force, Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others.

Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.

Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism.

REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.

Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content “In other countries such as Australia where the vaccination rates are much higher, we see much lower prevalence of cervical cancer.

” In Ontario, 68.5 per cent of 17 year olds have been given the vaccine to prevent HPV infection, even after what the organization calls “unprecedented catch-up efforts” following a drop in vaccinations during the early years of the pandemic. HPV vaccines are given in school in Ontario.

That is far from the World Health Organization’s goal of having 90 per cent of 15-year-old girls vaccinated by 2030 as part of a global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer. Rates are significantly lower for older Canadians, and lower for males than females. Among people 18-24 years of age, only 68 per cent of females and 23 per cent of males reported that they were vaccinated, according to a 2021 immunization coverage survey.

Vaccination against HPV can reduce rates of cervical cancer by up to 90 per cent. In countries where HPV vaccination rates are high, cervical cancer rates are sharply declining. Scotland saw rates plummet after a widespread HPV vaccination campaign, according to research.

Evening Update The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays.

There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way.

If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Evening Update will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up.

Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In Canada, though, rates of cervical cancer have risen by 3.7 per cent a year for the past decade, said Rozon.

, making it the fastest-increasing cancer among females. An estimated 1,550 people were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2023 and 400 people died from it, according to the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. “The greatest way to prevent cervical cancer is through vaccination,” Rozon said.

Mouth and throat cancers caused by HPV have also been rising rapidly in Canada, she said, and are 4.5 times more prevalent in males than females. One-third of HPV-related cancers in Canada are in males, who have lower rates of HPV vaccination than females.

“We have a vaccine that prevents cancer, why are we thinking twice or hesitating? We don’t understand what causes all cancers, but we know these cancers are caused by HPV infection and we have a vaccine that prevents that infection. We just need to get that vaccine into people.” All Canadian provinces offer the HPV vaccine in schools as part of their publicly funded vaccine programs.

It was originally offered to girls, and later extended to include boys. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The Federation of Medical Women of Canada wants to see higher vaccination rates across Canada to reduce rates of cancers.

HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world, affecting both men and women. It is estimated that 75 per cent of Canadians who are sexually active will be exposed or infected in their lifetime, according to the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. Most infected people clear the virus, but those who don’t can develop HPV-related cancers and diseases.

In order to increase rates of vaccination, the Federation of Medical Women of Canada wants to see eligibility for publicly funded vaccines expanded to include those who didn’t get it in school, they would also like to see pharmacists and even dentists given the authority to prescribe and administer the vaccine. While pharmacists can currently administer the vaccine, only physicians can prescribe it. The group is also calling on the Ontario government and public health agencies to increase communication about the vaccine and HPV, citing surveys showing a lack of public knowledge about HPV and the vaccine, including that it is available to males as well as females.

“If we do not act to improve these immunization rates, thousands of Ontarians will develop cancers in the future, which could have been prevented by vaccination,” the organization said in a recent paper focused on improving vaccination rates. Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Recommended from Editorial Rusting robots: Scientists fear end of COVID-19 funding will set Canada back Dying Ontario patients caught in home care supply shortage Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Cancers caused by HPV on the rise as vaccination rates lag Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.

Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site.

You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending Special forces tracked former soldier’s social media, shared private info without consent Defence Watch 'Critical' watermain break prompts no-dig order in Ottawa Local News You'll never guess which Ottawa restaurant made OpenTable's Top 100 list Local News DND tried to block veteran from requesting government records Defence Watch Algonquin College nursing student was beaten and strangled, jury hears at murder trial News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings.