Free vaccines and immunization targets, EU recommendations to strengthen fight against cancer

Brussels – Free or fully reimbursed vaccinations; immunization against vaccine-preventable cancers integrated into national cancer plans; a target to vaccinate kids against  HPV. These are just some of the recommendations that the European Commission transmitted today (January 31) to EU member states to strengthen efforts to prevent cancer through vaccination as part of its cancer action plan.

These are recommendations, so pieces of legislation that are not binding on member states but may be useful to harmonize legislation and guide policy action. In fact, the European Commission does not have competence over health matters, although it has more than before the Covid-19 crisis.

“Every year in the EU, nearly 14 thousand lives are lost to cervical cancer, and there are over 16 thousand new hepatitis B infections,” EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides estimated. She added that today’s proposal is “a key part of our prevention work under the European Plan to Combat Cancer, a key pillar of a strong European Health Union that protects the health of our citizens, particularly young people.”

Today’s recommendation focuses on increasing the uptake of two crucial vaccinations that can prevent viral infections that can lead to cancer: against human papillomavirus (HPV) – responsible for the onset of cervical cancer, among others – and against hepatitis B virus (HBV), as well as improving coverage rates monitoring. Today, many member states fall well short of the 50 percent HPV vaccination coverage rate for girls, with limited data available for boys and young adults, and there is a significant lack of data on HBV vaccination rates.

It recommends, for example, vaccinating for free or fully reimbursing the price of the vaccine and ensuring that vaccination is easily accessible, particularly to target groups and vulnerable or high-risk populations. It still recommends strengthening communication efforts, particularly highlighting the benefits of vaccination to parents, young people, and target groups and addressing misinformation. It also aims to provide a template for communication campaigns adaptable to national needs and considering national specificity to help raise awareness of the importance of these vaccinations.

We all know someone that has been affected by cancer, one way or another.

40% of all cancer cases are preventable. With today’s proposal on vaccine-preventable cancers, we are helping EU countries to save lives. #EUCancerPlan pic.twitter.com/RdsVQfSoTn

– Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) January 31, 2024

Brussels also proposes to set concrete targets for HPV vaccination for kids. Furthermore, it aims to strengthen national efforts to reach the HBV 2030 World Health Organization targets: 95 percent infant vaccination coverage (third dose), 95 percent in pregnant women screened for hepatitis B, and 95 percent in infants who received a timely (within 24 hours of birth) HBV vaccination at birth. It seeks to strengthen systems to monitor progress toward these goals and draw on the available support of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).