• In the video: Human papilloma viruses – this cancer is caused by viruses

Human papilloma viruses occur on the skin and mucous membranes. They are harmless to most people. However, of the approximately 200 types of HPV, there are 14 more aggressive types, some of which with certain types of cancer be associated like

• cervical cancer
• Anal cancer
• Penile cancer
• Vulvar cancer
• Vaginal cancer
• Throat cancer

Human papillomaviruses are primarily transmitted through sexual intercourse. If these high-risk HP viruses establish themselves in the genital tract, they can cause tumors. Other, more harmless types cause unsightly but harmless warts.

German researcher discovered link between HPV and cancer

The German researcher Harald zur Hausen discovered the connection between HPV and cancer in 1976. Thirty years later, the first vaccine based on his findings at the time came onto the market. For this he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008. The introduction of vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) around 15 years ago was a groundbreaking advance in cancer prevention.

It turns out that countries that started vaccination campaigns quickly and achieved high vaccination rates were able to defeat an aggressive form of cancer. Aggressive cervical cancer has disappeared in Scotland.

This is shown by data from Public Health Scotland, the country’s top health authority. There has not been a single case of cervical cancer among women who have been vaccinated against HPV since 2008. “We have looked at the data from the screening program again and again,” Timothy Palmer, head of Public Health Scotland, told Welt am Sonntag.

Germany is hesitating in the fight against aggressive cancer

Germany cannot build on these successes. Every year in this country, around 6,250 women and 1,600 men develop new HPV-associated carcinomas, according to a report from the Robert Koch Institute.

The most common form is cervical carcinoma, the malignant tumor of the cervix. Around 4,500 women develop it every year. One in three dies from it, often not until middle adulthood.

Scotland has beaten cancer, Germany has not – why?

In contrast to many other countries, there was no nationwide vaccination campaign in Germany. This is also why parents are cautious; there is a lack of information, brochures and education.

Compared to countries such as Iceland, Norway and Portugal, which achieve vaccination rates of 90 percent, the HPV vaccination rate in Germany can still be improved.

• In 2023, only 54.6 percent of 15-year-old girls in Germany were fully vaccinated.
• Among boys of the same age, the vaccination rate is 34 percent.

In Germany, many appointments for follow-up vaccinations are still missed – however, for complete vaccination protection, it is important to receive all recommended vaccination doses at the scheduled intervals: For girls and boys aged 9 to 14, two individual vaccinations at least five months apart are required. From the age of 15, three doses of the vaccine are required.

WHO calls for better prevention and higher vaccination rates

In addition to a high rate of early cancer detection with HPV tests and therapy for those who are already sick, the WHO calls for 90 percent of girls worldwide to be fully vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15 by 2030 in order to eliminate cervical cancer in the long term.

But boys of this age can also benefit from the vaccination. The virus can also cause other types of cancer and men and women can infect each other.