Rome (eCanadaNow) - Italy is set to become the first European country to offer free vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, to pre-teenage girls.
In a recent statement, the Health Ministry said it expected the free jabs to be made available to the country’s 280,000 12-years-old when the vaccine was approved by Italy’s drug agency AIFA, possibly in February.
HPV is an extremely common virus and has been linked to about 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.
In a statement, Health Minister Livia Turco said it was crucial to protect young girls from the virus before they became sexually active.
Turco said screening through regular pap tests remained the best course of prevention for older women and those who have already contracted the HPV virus.
The vaccination campaign was expected to cost the Italian health system 75 million euros (approximately 97 million dollars) per year, Turco said.
Cervical cancer affects 3,500 Italian women each year and kills about half of them.
