HPV vaccination campaign – Albanian  Telegraphic  Agency. https://en.ata.gov.al News Agency Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:47:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Over 45,000 girls vaccinated against HPV; boys to be included from 2026 https://en.ata.gov.al/2025/10/27/over-45000-girls-vaccinated-against-hpv-boys-to-be-included-from-2026/ https://en.ata.gov.al/2025/10/27/over-45000-girls-vaccinated-against-hpv-boys-to-be-included-from-2026/#respond Mon, 27 Oct 2025 09:18:43 +0000 https://en.ata.gov.al/?p=277953 TIRANA, Oct 27 /ATA/ – More than 45,000 girls aged 13 to 20 in Albania have been vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) over the past five years, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry said 10,000 girls received the vaccine in 2025 alone, reflecting growing awareness about HPV and its link to cervical cancer.

From January 2026, 13-year-old boys will also be included in the National HPV Immunisation Calendar – a step officials described as key to preventing the spread of the virus and protecting young people’s health.

Rovena Daja, head of Albania’s HPV vaccination campaign at the Institute of Public Health, said more than 150 types of HPV are known, though most are harmless.

“Types 6 and 12 cause genital warts in both men and women, while types 16 and 18 are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases,” she said, adding that men can also carry and transmit the virus and, in some cases, develop genital and throat cancers.

HPV vaccination has been offered to 13-year-old girls for more than five years and is available free of charge at all public health centres. Daja said vaccination before sexual contact is the most effective protection.

The HPV vaccine, given in a single dose, is licensed globally and included in Albania’s national immunisation programme, in line with WHO recommendations and advice from the National Immunisation Committee.

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