Abstract
Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious demographic and medical problem in Ukraine, which is the main cause of the death of women in reproductive age in our country. WHO experts recognized the possibility of complete elimination of CC on the globe under conditions of implementation of primary measures (vaccination against papillomaviruses) and secondary (cytological screening) prevention. However, there still are many opponents to vaccination and ill-informed people, which limits the current possibilities of preventative measures in Ukraine. In 2017, for the first time in Lviv region, 4,500 doses of Cervarix vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)were purchased for the vaccination of girls aged from 12 to 14. This opened new opportunities for studying the tolerance of vaccination, interest and awareness among young people on these issues.
Aim
To analyze the activity of vaccination against HPV in Lviv area. To assess the level of student knowledge ofrisk factors related to the development of cervical cancer, as well as the feasibility of its prophylaxis, namely vaccination against HPV.
Methods and material:
The use of the bivalent vaccine Cervarix in the framework of the region program was analyzed, namely the coverage of girls aged 12-14 by the vaccination based on the monthly reports from medical institutions. The survey results of 200 respondents aged 17-32, most of whom are medical students, are analyzed. They are related to their awareness of the risk factors for CC, primary and secondary prevention measures.
Results:
In 2017, 2,810 girls (4.8% of the age group of 12-14) were vaccinated, most of them in Lviv, Sokal, Pustomyty and Drohobych districts.The survey showed that 59.2% of the respondents are aware of the pathogenetic role of HPV in CC. Most respondents (74.9%) know that precancerous conditions of the cervix can be detected using cytological screening. Only 34.9% consider vaccination against HPV the most effective method of CC prevention. 36.7% of respondents expressed the desire to get vaccinated. Only 31.4% answered that they would like to vaccinate their children in the future.
Conclusions
For the first time in Ukraine, a large-scale vaccine campaign against HPVhas been carried out using local budget funds. The vaccine proved to be well-tolerated, it has a minimum frequency of local adverse effects. There are some territories, which do not participate in the vaccination, and this indicates the passive attitude of doctors and the population to the problem of CC prevention. Future physicians in the region are not well informed about the primarymeasures of cervical cancer prevention, which may result in the passive position of the medical community towards vaccination in the future.