(by Nicola Simonetti) Every year, in Italy, almost 5.000 cases of HPV-related tumors attributed to chronic infections linked to oncogenic strains of the human Papillomavirus (HPV) are recorded. Numbers that increase the level of attention around HPV-related pathologies, often perceived as a danger exclusively to the female associated with cervical cancer and underestimating, therefore, the important incidence that the virus can also have among males, victims too they are diseases caused by HPV such as anal cancer, penile cancer or genital warts.
There are over 200 different types of HPV, 13 of which are classified as high-risk types, which can cause cervical cancer in women and other associated HPV tumors - anus, vagina, vulva, penis, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and genital warts also in the male, a category often perceived not at risk of virus contraction.
"HPV infection is very common in the population and primarily recognizes sexual transmission; from this sentence we can understand how the numerous Papillomaviruses pose a threat to the entire population since the beginning of sexual activity. We have multiple scientific evidences that indicate how the young age and the number of sexual partners represent a risk condition for contracting the infection. From these evidences it follows the prevention strategy through the vaccination that has as primary target the teenagers of both sexes at the twelfth year of age. The current national plan - says prof. Giancarlo Icardi, Professor of Hygiene at the University of Genoa - recommends the offer of anti-papillomavirus vaccination to an additional cohort of female adolescents.
The level of information and awareness is not yet sufficiently high and for this reason MSD Italia has decided to commit itself to the front line and launch the new Social campaign "The Papillomavirus does not choose, yes you", being approved by the Ministry of Health, which will present in the hashtag #ioscelgo its manifesto: an invitation to parents of teenage children and young women to act with awareness for their future and that of their children. The HPV does not choose its victims, but everyone can choose to prevent it through vaccination.
The campaign will have a clear social variation: Instagram, Facebook and YouTube - plus an updated portal, www.ioscelgo.it, where you can learn all the information on diseases and prevention opportunities. We want to inform the population in a scientifically correct way using the languages of digital communication.
Considering the methods of transmission, it is intuitive how a multi-cohort strategy favors a more rapid reduction in the circulation of HPV in the population, allowing the final goal of reducing the number of pre-cancerous lesions and, in the long term, of cancers of the uterus and the anogenital area ".
Fears and prejudices about vaccination can help to explain the still low levels of vaccination coverage equal to 64.4% in girls, for the first dose, and to 49.9%, for the complete cycle; in boys the percentage is even lower, equal to 21,8% against 15,4% of the complete cycle. Too few vaccinated to be safe.
Among the objectives of the campaign, also that of giving a clear answer to some false myths related to HPV-related pathologies.
"The experience of many positive HPV women is very variable and can range from situations of anxiety, fear, anger, shame, blame, remorse, overestimation of cancer risks, concerns about loss of reproductive functions, concerns about negative reactions that could have friends, family, sexual partners, concerns about the partner's infidelity or real hostility towards him - explains Dr. Carlo Antonio Liverani, Humanitas San Pio X Preventive Gynecological Oncology, Milan - an urgent need for treatment, up to to arrive at changes in intimate physical activities, refusal of sexual activity, isolation, depression ”.
Although there are still many aspects to be explored for a more complete awareness of the risks, in terms of knowledge some progress has been made. According to the latest Censis report, which analyzed the level of HPV awareness among parents of teenage children, we have gone from a level of knowledge of the 85.1% virus in 2017 to today's 88.3% with an information search which passes more and more through health professionals (53.2% in 2019 vs 39.1% in 2017) rather than through Doctor Google (26.7% in 2019 vs 30.7% in 2017).
"Even if the knowledge on the Papillomavirus and on its vaccination appears to have improved over time, it knows what HPV is, the 88,3% of parents and the vaccination is known as 81,3% while the respective percentages now exceed 90% among women , it is often a superficial knowledge, in which many doubts and uncertainties transpire. While all those who claim to be informed know that HPV is responsible for cervical cancer, only half of parents know that HPV also causes other cancers such as anus, penis, vulva, vagina and that of the head / neck, only 42% associates it with genital warts and just under a third still thinks that the virus affects only women. The media and, in particular the Internet - says Dr. Ketty Vaccaro, Head of Welfare and Health Area of Censis - are among the most cited sources of information, together with the ASL vaccination service for parents and gynecologist for women. However, an informative need that is only partially satisfied emerges, in particular on the risks of contracting the virus, the mechanisms with which all the prevention tools and their effectiveness act ”.
Belief or knowledge? The Censis survey returns the image of users who trust the contents of the Internet less, than in the past, mainly due to the widespread presence of altered information and fake news that make the digital space poor in certified scientific sources. A battle that sees some of the major social networks (Facebook and Pinterest as an example) at the forefront, increasingly engaged in blocking any attempt at fake news in favor of the correct dissemination of information related to health.
"It is essential that users become aware that the medical disinformation spread through social networks is not made only by people who are mistaken in good faith, but it is also a professionally piloted business and that - says Dr. Paolo Attivissimo, journalist and expert of fake news - social platforms by nature do not objectively reflect common opinions, but amplify the most extreme ones ".
Inventing for Life, with Passion and dedication, is the hallmark of MSD's DNA that, in addition to making innovative drugs and vaccines available, is committed to digital innovation because it is a useful tool to improve health and quality of life of people.
"I am very proud to present today the new campaign 'The Papillomavirus does not choose, you do". The infection - says Dr. Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO of MSD Italy - from HPV is extremely common worldwide, both in men and in women, and is the most frequent sexually transmitted infection. As a woman, mother and wife, I have always felt the responsibility of prevention for myself and my family and I keep constantly informed of reliable sources: in my professional life I try to apply the same principle, towards patients and the population we serve with our products, because life, life in good health, is never enough. For this reason, we feel the need to commit ourselves to spreading an important message: we can choose to prevent the onset of dangerous pathologies, giving ourselves and our children a disease-free future, because today more than ever the control of the Papillomavirus and of the cancers related to it is within our reach ”.
"We have decided to use the language and methods of social networks, which are now part of our daily life - continues Nicoletta Luppi - to offer a wider audience a variety of tools and information that will help them to carry out, with awareness, a real gesture of love: the protection of the people we love the most ”. #IoScelgo is the hashtag chosen for the campaign, a real manifesto that will invite parents and women to find out about the risks of Papillomavirus infection from reliable sources and choose cancer prevention and other HPV-related diseases to protect their future and that of their children.
The social campaign will subsequently be launched on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and will use the language of digital communication to spread the most important message: defending yourself from dangerous pathologies is a responsible and possible choice.