Dutch Ministry of Health's Cheap HPV Vaccine Decision
This blog post discusses the Dutch Ministry of Health's decision to only offer free HPV shots to people 26 years or younger. It questions why the decision was made and the potential consequences of the decision.
Elisabeth Bik
Science integrity consultant, PhD. #ImageForensics Currently without cat or blue check, but soccer-mom of godson. She/her. https://t.co/V4MR7WVHiT 🇳🇱🇺🇸
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Uggh. The Dutch Ministry of Health decided that free HPV shots - which prevent infection with certain human papillomavirus that can cause cervical/anal/rectal cancers - will only be available for people 26 years or younger.
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023
What a cheap and dumb decision.https://t.co/grcUjHxYpq -
This is a vaccine that can prevent cancers and suffering and deaths. Why be so cheap?
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023
Dutch children are offered the HPV vaccine around age 10, so it is not going to be millions of extra people running to get a shot. It is just offering the vaccine for those who never got it. -
The article I was reading said that cervical cancer is rare, but the WHO states it is the fourth most common cancer among women globally.
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023
That is not rare. And it is preventable in most cases by a vaccine. https://t.co/MdFbs8bedz -
And HPV does not just cause cervical cancer. It can cause mouth and anal cancer in both men and women who have oral or rectal sex.
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023
What is not to love about the HPV vaccine? -
Yes, it might make parents a bit uncomfortable thinking about their 10 year old kid who once might have sex. But for those who did not receive it as a child, it is still a vary valuable vaccination to receive at a later age.
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023 -
Apparently, the Dutch HPV vaccine for those 27 years and older will cost 155 euro. That is a lot of money if you have a limited income, and it will eventually lead to more cancers in people of lower socioeconomic status.
— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) March 15, 2023
[Update of my previous tweet stating 2-3 doses are needed]