HPV Romania Action Calls for Responsible Communication about Vaccination

As physicians, pharmacists, and community leaders supporting people's health and well-being, we strongly condemn the ongoing spread of dangerous misinformation about vaccines. Such messages pose a threat to us all.

The evidence is unequivocal: vaccination plays a vital role in saving lives by preventing infectious diseases. Throughout history, vaccines have proven effective in reducing the incidence of deadly diseases such as measles, polio, and smallpox —once major epidemic threats. By immunizing populations, we not only protect vaccinated individuals but also contribute to herd immunity, which safeguards those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, such as individuals with compromised immune systems.

A Disturbing New Trend

According to the most recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Europe recorded a 10-fold increase in measles cases in 2024. Alarmingly, almost 90% of those cases – and 22 of 23 deaths recorded in Europe – were from Romania,  

Measles have now caused at least 95 deaths in the last 5 years in our country, the majority among children.

Another stark reality is that Romania ranks first in the European Union for the number of cases and deaths from cervical cancer. A woman in Romania has a 2.5 times higher lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cervical cancer and a cumulative risk 3.2 times higher of dying from it, compared to the average for women in the European Union. Approximately 50% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer are under 55 years old. These premature deaths can all be prevented by vaccination.

We feel deep pain and outrage in the face of such tragedies. It is unacceptable to face the loss of a mother who found out too late that she had cervical cancer. It is also unacceptable for babies to contract measles before having the chance to be protected by vaccination. These losses remind us that public health is not just a statistic but real lives, full of hopes and dreams, that are destroyed due to lack of prevention. It is our duty to ensure that such tragedies do not repeat themselves, to fight for education, vaccination, and access to medical care, in order to protect the most vulnerable lives.

HPV and MMR Vaccination – Safe and Effective. Long-Term Benefits Are Strongly Supported

Since the first HPV vaccine was introduced nearly 20 years ago, it has proven to be remarkably effective in preventing infections from the human papillomavirus, the cause of cervical cancer and other types of cancer, such as anal, oropharyngeal, and penile cancer. Numerous independent studies conducted by academic institutions, international organisations, and public health agencies have shown that vaccination significantly reduces the incidence of these cancers. The HPV vaccine is also proven to be remarkably safe. It has undergone rigorous evaluations before being approved for use, and post-vaccination surveillance data continue to confirm that adverse effects are rare and usually mild, such as pain at the injection site or fever. These findings underscore not only the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing serious diseases but also the medical community's commitment to ensuring a safe and well-tolerated vaccine, essential for protecting public health.

The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccines are among the most studied and used vaccines in the world, with a history of over 50 years, demonstrating exceptional safety and efficacy. Clinical studies and post-vaccination surveillance data confirm that vaccination offers over 95% protection against measles, mumps, and rubella, thus contributing to a significant reduction in the incidence of these serious infectious diseases. Currently, MMR vaccination is included in national immunization programs in all countries. Annually, over 400 million doses of MMR vaccines are used globally.

Long-Term Benefits Are Well Documented

The long-term benefits of the HPV vaccine are well documented by international scientific studies conducted over more than 15 years. Here are the main pieces of evidence:

Significant reduction in HPV infections:

• HPV vaccines have reduced infections with oncogenic strains (16 and 18) by up to 90% among vaccinated young women, according to studies in the USA, Australia, and Europe. [2], [3]

Decrease in precancerous lesions:

• In Australia, the first country with broad vaccination coverage, an 88% reduction in high-grade dysplasia (CIN2/3) was observed in women under 25 years old. [4]
• The study published in The Lancet (2019) shows a 51% reduction in CIN3 and a 31% reduction in invasive cervical cancers at the population level. [5]

Reduction in the incidence of cervical cancer:

• Sweden (2020): Women vaccinated before the age of 17 had an 88% lower risk of invasive cervical cancer. [6]
• England (2021): Data published in The Lancet show an 87% reduction in cervical cancer in women vaccinated between 12 and 13 years old. [7]

Long-lasting immunity:

• Follow-up studies show that the protection conferred by the vaccine persists for at least 15 years, with no signs of decreased efficacy. [8] A booster dose is not required so far.

Informed Consent and Transparency

In Romania, vaccination is carried out based on informed consent from parents or legal guardians, in accordance with national legislation on patient rights and medical ethics. No one is forced to get vaccinated.

We want to emphasize that health policies must always support prevention efforts for the benefit of the population. The entire political class, regardless of doctrine, must take responsibility for health policies both at the individual and community level, and these policies include vaccination. Only through effective and continuous communication to the population regarding the benefits of vaccination and through adequate funding, including by improving vaccination programs with products authorized by the European Medicines Agency and available at the European level, can we increase life expectancy and its quality.

Given the above, we call for responsibility and urge all parties to avoid politicizing health. Public health should not be a subject of political debate but a common goal that unites us. It is essential to rely on scientific evidence and to obtain information from reliable sources in order to make informed decisions about our health and that of those around us.

We urge you to support vaccination as an act of solidarity towards the community and towards the most vulnerable among us. Each vaccination contributes to protecting public health and preventing the spread of infectious diseases that can endanger lives.

Sources:

1. https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$4-2$3-30$6-0,85$5-2022,2022$7-7,8$2-All$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE27
2. https://ecis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/explorer.php?$0-0$1-All$4-2$3-30$6-0,85$5-2022,2022$7-7,8$2-All$CEstByCountry$X0_8-3$X0_19-AE27$X0_20-No$CEstBySexByCountry$X1_8-3$X1_19-AE27$X1_-1-1$CEstByIndiByCountry$X2_8-3$X2_19-AE27$X2_20-No$CEstRelative$X3_8-3$X3_9-AE27$X3_19-AE27$CEstByCountryTable$X4_19-AE2 7
3. https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/vaccination-impact/index.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
4. Brotherton JM, Gertig DM, May C, et al. Early effect of the HPV vaccination programme on cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in Victoria, Australia: an observational study. Lancet Oncol. 2008;9(12):1127-1132
5. Gertig DM, Brotherton JML, Buddle ML, et al. Impact of quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccination on high-grade cervical abnormalities in Victoria, Australia: a 10-year observational study. Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(8):e437-e445
6. Lei J, Ploner SB, Elfström KM, et al. HPV vaccination and the risk of invasive cervical cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(14):1340-1348
7. ук Chen CM, Jit M, Soldan K, et al. Impact of the national HPV vaccination programme in England on cervical cancer incidence and mortality: an observational study. Lancet. 2021;398(10316):2083-2092
8. Schiller JT, Müller M. Next generation prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccines. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22(5):708-719