With an emphasis on social media, last year's campaign by the HPV Coalition for the prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) will continue. The aim is to raise awareness of the cancers associated with the virus and the possibility of prevention through vaccination, the HPV Coalition announced.
The campaign will target both parents of girls aged 10 to 18 (not yet turned) and boys aged 10 to 14 (not yet turned), as well as general practitioners, pediatricians and gynecologists, who inform parents and administer vaccines against human papillomavirus. There will be a special video for students, and the most award-winning educational platform "Ucha.se" will release it for parents.
From 2025, the National Program for Primary Prevention of Cancers Caused by HPV (2025 – 2030) was launched, which also included boys aged 10 to 14 (not yet turned). Last year, over 18,000 doses of HPV vaccines were administered, with over 10,000 girls and boys included in the program. From the beginning of 2026, free HPV vaccines are already being administered not only to girls aged 10 to 14, but also to girls aged 15 to 18 (not yet turned) who have missed vaccination, the HPV Coalition recalls.
The expansion of the scope of free immunization against human papillomavirus is a significant achievement because the infection is sexually neutral – men also get infected and suffer from cancers caused by HPV, commented Dr. Gergana Nikolova, PhD – chief coordinator of the HPV Coalition.
The campaign on social media will coincide with the International HPV Awareness Day – March 4. It will continue until March 9, when the HPV Coalition will celebrate three years since its creation. The initiative is also related to the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (January 19 – 25).
A day ago, a clip of Ministry of Health employees with personal messages calling for responsibility for health on the occasion of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week was published. According to data from the European Commission, this type of oncological disease can be prevented to the greatest extent through effective preventive policies, including vaccination and organized screening. Cervical cancer ranks second in frequency among oncological diseases in women aged between 15 and 44.