HPV – Vaccination, condoms and screening

As we have seen, human papillomaviruses are transmitted during intercourse or close contact with the skin and mucous membranes. Most people are unaware of an infection because it is asymptomatic.

Condoms offer a certain degree of protection against infection. However, this protection is not 100%, as HPV can also be transmitted from one partner to the other through mucosal contact.

Safer sex is important and offers protection against other sexually transmitted infections, for example HIV. However, condoms do not guarantee complete protection against HPV infections. This is because HPV can also be transmitted via the mucous membrane, which is not covered by the condom.
However, these infections can be largely prevented by HPV vaccination.

A healthy lifestyle and measures to strengthen the immune system are also important for prevention, not only against HPV infections: sufficient sleep, sport and exercise, a healthy diet with adequate vitamin intake, as well as refraining from smoking contribute a lot to health. Smoking has been proven to increase the risk of cervical cancer.

In 1984, after years of research, the German physician Prof. Harald zur Hausen succeeded in detecting human papilloma viruses in tumour cells of women with cervical cancer.
The new and groundbreaking discovery that papillomaviruses cause cancer earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2008.

The pharmaceutical industry then developed an HPV vaccine after years of research, and in 2006 the vaccine with the trade name Gardasil was approved in Switzerland.
This vaccine protected against the most aggressive and most frequently found HPV types 16 and 18 in tumour tissue, as well as types 6 and 11, which lead to genital warts. In 2010, Cervarix was approved, which protects against HPV 16 and 18.
In 2019, an even more advanced vaccine replaced the first. Gardasil9 covers five more cancer-causing HPV types (31,33, 45, 52,58), making it even more effective.

The vaccination should ideally be completed before starting sexual activity, i.e. before coming into contact with HPV.

The BAG recommends early vaccination of girls and also boys aged 11-14 years.
In this age group, vaccination twice at intervals of about 6 months leads to effective protection against infection with the corresponding HPV types and the resulting precancerous stages of the cervix. Other goals of the vaccination are the reduction of surgical interventions due to precancerous lesions, the occurrence of new cases of cervical cancer and the resulting deaths.
Gardasil also offers protection against troublesome genital warts.

From the age of 15, vaccination must be given three times in order to obtain a good immune response.
Up to the age of 26, vaccination is recommended by the FOPH and is free of charge as part of cantonal vaccination programmes.

Since HPV also causes rarer cancers and cancers other than cervical cancer and genital warts, vaccination is also recommended for boys and young men. Vaccinated men cannot spread the HPV types further, as they are protected against infection themselves.

There are now a large number of reports on possible adverse drug reactions.
Frequently mentioned side effects are, as known from other vaccines, pain at the injection site, headache, slight fever and feeling unwell.
Allergies to the vaccine or its components have been described, but are extremely rare.

The vaccination offers good protection against infection with the most common and aggressive human papilloma viruses and possible serious secondary diseases.

Since HPV also causes rarer cancers and cancers other than cervical cancer and genital warts, vaccination is also recommended for boys and young men. Vaccinated men cannot spread the HPV types further, as they are protected against infection themselves.

There are now a large number of reports on possible adverse drug reactions.
Frequently mentioned side effects are, as known from other vaccines, pain at the injection site, headache, slight fever and feeling unwell.
Allergies to the vaccine or its components have been described, but are extremely rare.

The vaccination offers good protection against infection with the most common and aggressive human papilloma viruses and possible serious secondary diseases.

In addition to the Pap test, the direct detection of HPV from the smear can also help to detect cervical cancer at an early stage. An HPV test detects high-risk HPV types that can lead to cancer. If the result is negative, i.e. no human papilloma viruses are detected, the risk of developing cervical cancer in the next few years is extremely low. If the result is positive, this indicates a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. This test is usually carried out from the age of 30 to detect a permanent infection.

Unfortunately, for other HPV-caused cancers (anal, penile, vulvar or vaginal), there are still no routine screening or early detection tests.