Implementation of the EU Beating Cancer Plan
European Commission presents proposal for Council Recommendations on the fight against cancer through vaccination.
CC – 02/2024
On 31 January, the European Commission
published a proposal for Council Recommendations on vaccine-preventable
cancers. The proposal centres on supporting the Member States of the European
Union (EU) in preventing and reducing the risk of cancer caused by human
papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). To this end, immunisation
coverage rates are to be increased and vaccination rates better monitored. The
initiative is based on the European
Beating Cancer Plan, which aims to achieve an HPV vaccination rate of 90 % among girls and young women by 2030, and to vaccinate significantly
more boys. The HBV vaccination rate is also to be increased.
HPV and HBV are carcinogenic viruses
HPV are viruses that infect the cells of
the skin and mucous membranes. They are the main cause of cervical cancer.
Every year, around 28,600 people in the European Economic Area (EEA) are
diagnosed with cervical cancer and 13,700 die from it.
HBV are viruses that can cause an infection
of the liver, which can be acute or chronic, and increases the risk of liver
cirrhosis and liver cancer. In 2021, 30 EU and EEA countries reported 16,187
newly diagnosed HBV infections, of which a large proportion (43%) were
classified as chronic.
Major differences in Europe
There are major differences within the EU,
particularly in vaccination rates against HPV. In some EU Member States, the
HPV vaccination rate for girls is 90 %, in others it is less than 50 %. There is currently only limited data available on immunisation coverage
rates for boys and young adults. Data from a recent Cancer
Inequality Study published by the OECD shows that more than 90 % of
girls in Iceland, Portugal and Norway receive the recommended doses of the HPV
vaccine to prevent cervical cancer - more than twice as many as in Bulgaria,
France, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Latvia. Socio-economic inequalities can be
observed for most risk factors, to the detriment of people with a lower level
of education or income.
16 proposals for action
In its draft, the European Commission
proposes 16 measures to better prevent infections with the carcinogenic HPV and
HBV. The focus is on introducing or strengthening national vaccination
programmes, including through the provision of free vaccinations and/or full
reimbursement of vaccination costs for people for whom vaccination is
recommended. In addition, access for particularly vulnerable and possibly
disadvantaged groups is to be improved. Vaccination programmes in schools and
educational institutions play an important role in this context.
To improve monitoring, Member States are
encouraged to better integrate HPV and HBV vaccination into national cancer
prevention programmes and ensure better links between vaccination and cancer
registries. Another focus will be on increasing
awareness, particularly by emphasising the benefits of vaccination to parents,
young people and target groups, as well as combating misinformation and false
information.
What about Germany?
Germany can also benefit from the proposed
measures. In Germany, the HPV vaccination rates for a complete vaccination
series are currently 54 % for 15-year-old girls and 27 % for
boys. The German Social Insurance (DSV) therefore welcomes the European
Commission's initiative. The German social security institutions support and
finance the implementation of all vaccinations recommended by the Standing
Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) for their insured persons within the scope of
their responsibility and provide information about them. In the case of the HPV
vaccination, the health insurance companies even go beyond the STIKO
recommendations in many cases. As part of the social security institutions'
commitment to prevention, numerous projects that provide information and draw
attention to protection options, particularly in schools and the workplace, are
also supported. The DSV had already taken a position on this in its feedback in February 2023.
The Commission's proposal for the Council Recommendations will now be submitted to the Council of the EU. The Council plans to formally adopt the non-binding Council recommendations in the
Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 21
June.