Merck responds to article on HPV vaccination

Merck has responded to an article written about the impact of vaccinations on human papilloma viruses (HPV) and how they can help to reduce the burden of cervical cancer and HPV-related diseases.

Analysis was conducted by J Kim and S Goldie from the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The authors noted that over 11,000 females are diagnosed in the US with cervical cancer each year and Merck highlighted the report’s conclusion that pre-adolescent girls should be vaccinated for HPV in addition to having a “catch-up” later in life for those who have not been vaccinated.

The company said now was a “critical time of year” to consider taking precautions against HPV and related diseases because over six in ten girls has not yet been vaccinated.

More than 100 types of HPV exist and according to Cancer Research UK, it is not unusual for about three in four people to have the virus at one time or another in their life.

However, there are differences in the severity of these strains and types 16 and 18 are thought to cause around seven in ten cancers of the cervix.

Regular cervical screening can also detect abnormal cells.