First vaccine for cervical cancer virus comes to Malta

The world's first vaccine to protect women against the virus that causes most cervical cancers will be available in Malta by the end of next week.

The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine is being hailed as a breakthrough by doctors worldwide because for the first time women can be protected against four strains of this common sexually-transmitted disease.

The vaccine is intended mainly as a preventive measure for females aged between nine and 26 and is not a cure for HPV.

It took Ian Frazer, from the University of Queensland, Australia, 20 years of research to develop and he is now being nominated for next year's Nobel Prize. He has already been named Australian of the Year (2006).

The vaccine comes at a cost of Lm183 for a three-jab course - a small price to pay to protect against cancer, doctors believe.

Produced by the pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co, the vaccine, called Gardasil, but also known as Silgard, is being introduced in the national immunisation programmes of various countries to protect girls as young as nine years old.

Maltese authorities are closely following the promising results of the vaccine. However, the Director General for Health, Ray Busuttil, said when contacted that at the moment the government had no intention of introducing the vaccine as part of a national programme.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer - and the third leading cause of cancer deaths - in women worldwide.

In Malta, cancer of the uterine cervix is the third most common cancer of the female genital organs - 132 new cases of cervical cancer and 49 deaths were reported between 1992 and 2002 (Malta National Cancer Registry, 2005).

Marc Steban, one of the main Canadian investigators in the vaccine's trials, said that as from next year Québec plans to start vaccinating girls aged between nine and 12, the same time they were being inoculated against Hepatitis B. In Malta on a whirlwind visit, at the invitation of AM Mangion Ltd to speak to Maltese doctors on the HPV vaccine, Dr Steban described Silgard as a huge breakthrough.

"Just 25 years ago we didn't even know that cervical cancer was caused by a virus. Around the world this cancer is a huge burden on women's health and in turn on family life," he told The Times in an interview. Mark Brincat, chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, who also gave a talk, said Malta had to establish the true incidence of HPV.

"We need to get samples from high-risk groups and carry out proper collection and genetic testing. In January we hope to embark on this venture," he said.

HPV is contracted by many people in their teens and 20s and is easily transmitted through sexual activity involving genital contact. In the UK, 60 per cent of women are infected by their first sexual partner.

There are often no signs or symptoms of the virus, so many people do not know they have it and Dr Steban said it is estimated that 80 per cent of adults will have had genital HPV in their lifetime.

The vaccine is effective against HPV types 16 and 18, which account for 70 per cent of cervical cancers and HPV types six and 11, which account for 90 per cent of cases of genital warts.

Dr Steban said that, unfortunately, international statistics showed that 50 to 60 per cent of women who have cervical cancer had never had a smear test. The situation is the same in Malta, according to a recent study.

Dr Steban stressed the importance for parents to inoculate their daughters against HPV, saying they should not view this as a message for their offspring to be sexually active.

"This vaccine is not about sex, but about preventing cancer, which destroys the lives of mothers, and spouses. It is also an opportunity to discuss sexual issues with your children and talk about the prevention of cancer. If they want to be grandparents then protect your daughters," he said, adding that the virus can also be passed on to newborns or through oral sex.