Council recommendations on vaccine-preventable cancers.

The Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan has not been implemented even three years after its publication. One focus of the beating cancer plan is prevention. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states that 40 per cent of cancer cases in the European Union (EU) could be avoided. The European Commission has therefore set itself the goal of improving access to cancer screening, among others, in the area of vaccination. 

In January, the European Commission presented a proposal for a Council Recommendation on vaccine- preventable cancers. The Council recommendation was adopted by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) on 21 July. The recommendation guides the Member States on how they can promote vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). By 2030, at least 90 per cent of girls and young women should be vaccinated against HPV. HPV vaccinations for boys are also to be significantly increased.

Unequal access to vaccinations

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 per cent, in others it is less than 50 per cent. Data from a Cancer Inequality Study published by the OECD shows that more than 90 per cent 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.

Measures

The recommendation adopted by the Council proposes nineteen measures to better prevent infections with carcinogenic HPV and HBV viruses. The focus is on introducing or advancing national vaccination programmes with free vaccinations and/or full reimbursement of vaccination costs for people for whom vaccination is recommended. Furthermore, 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 surveillance, 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 by combating misinformation and false information.