研究发现宫颈癌疫苗是高性价比的预防药物

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LONDON (Reuters) - The vaccine against the sexually transmitted virus that causes the most cases of cervical cancer is cost-effective and should be given to adolescent girls before they start having sex, an EU agency said on Tuesday.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in a report that Merck & Co Inc's Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Cervarix vaccines could best help reduce cervical cancer when used with screening programs.

\"We are saying the vaccine is probably cost effective and should be given to girls before they start their sexual life,\" Johan Giesecke, the agency's chief scientist, said in a telephone interview.

Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus and is the second most common type of cancer in women. The disease kills 300,000 each year, mostly in developing countries.

Five EU countries -- Britain, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy -- have introduced the vaccination into their national health programs and most are considering it, Giesecke said.

The report offers guidance to those member states considering a vaccine and also urges countries already using it to ensure women do not let down their guard and skip screening.

This is important because the vaccine does not protect against all strains of the human papilloma virus, Giesecke added.

\"If you get infected before you get the vaccine, it (the vaccine) really doesn't help,\" he said. \"We also don't know how long immunity lasts because the vaccines are quite new.\"

The report, requested by the European Commission and several member states, recommended that girls receive the vaccine between the ages of 12-15 and said delivering the vaccines in schools would likely be the most cost-effective option.

It also said \"catch-up\" programs for slightly older girls could also be helpful in getting the most benefits out of the vaccine.
路透社伦敦消息，欧盟疾控中心周二在一份报告中表示，宫颈癌疫苗是对抗通过性接触途径传播的人乳头瘤病毒感染最经济适用的措施，青春期少女在开始性生活之前就应该结合筛查启动免疫程序。

大多数情况下，宫颈癌由人乳头瘤病毒经由性传播途径引发，是女性第二大常见的癌症。这种疾病每年30万人死亡，其中大部分在发展中国家。目前，结合筛查程序一同使用，默克公司下属的Gardasil（加德西）和葛兰素史克公司的Cervarix这两种宫颈癌疫苗，可出色地帮助女性减少患宫颈癌的风险。

该中心首席科学家Johan Giesecke强调，疫苗是对抗宫颈癌既经济又实用的药物，要求女性在开始性生活之前就接受免疫。免疫后的保护期长短目前还有待研究。使用疫苗要结合筛查程序进行，因为目前的宫颈癌疫苗不能对所有人乳头瘤病毒毒株产生免疫力；另外，如果在免疫之前已被病毒感染，那疫苗也无能为力。

Giesecke说，欧盟已有五个成员国（英国、法国、德国、奥地利和意大利）将宫颈癌疫苗纳入国家强制免疫计划，其它成员国正在考虑效仿。

报告还推荐女孩应在12-15岁之间接受免疫，并建议通过学校向在校学生集中发放疫苗以降低成本。年龄稍大一些的女孩参加一些“弥补”免疫程序也可获得保护。