As of January 1, 2025, amendments to the National Vaccination Schedule of the Republic of Belarus will come into effect.
The National Vaccination Schedule has been expanded in three areas. Vaccination against pneumococcal infection has been introduced for all children under 1 year of age (three doses at 2, 4, and 12 months), vaccination against human papillomavirus infection for girls aged 11, and vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis for children aged 6.
The list of preventive vaccinations for epidemic indications has been updated by specifying and supplementing the list of contingents. This includes vaccination against rabies, brucellosis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, yellow fever, tick-borne encephalitis, measles, rubella, leptospirosis, poliomyelitis, anthrax, tetanus, tularaemia, plague, mumps, COVID-19, pneumococcal infection, and Haemophilus influenzae.
Why has the decision been made to introduce vaccination against human papillomavirus into the vaccination schedule?
HPV (human papillomavirus) is currently one of the most widespread viruses globally and can provoke the development of cervical cancer in women.
For the discovery of the role of papillomavirus in the development of cervical cancer, in 2008, Dr. med. Harald zur Hausen, a German scientist, became a Nobel laureate (sharing the prize with Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi).
This information formed the basis for the development of an HPV vaccine. The vaccine stimulates the production of antibodies that protect against specific HPV types, thereby providing protection against cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is an oncological pathology of the female reproductive system characterised by the malignant transformation of cervical canal cells. If this disease is detected at an advanced stage, there is a high probability of a fatal outcome. Furthermore, in advanced cases, radical surgical treatment, leading to infertility, is performed to save a patient's life.
The experience of other countries shows that HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening lead to a reduction in the incidence of this oncological pathology to levels where it is no longer a public health problem.
It is important to note that vaccination does not treat, but provides prevention, therefore it cannot cure HPV already present in the body or detected cervical cancer.
HPV infections will be administered to girls at 11 years of age to establish protection before the onset of sexual activity.
Preventive vaccinations in our country are carried out after a medical examination, taking into account indications and contraindications for their administration, in accordance with the instructions for medical use.
When carrying out preventive vaccinations, vaccines are used that ensure maximum immunization effectiveness.
Preventive vaccinations are carried out in state healthcare organisations, as well as in other organisations holding a licence for medical activities that includes vaccination services.
Human health is one of the priorities of our state policy. Caring for its citizens, the state takes all necessary measures to protect the health of each individual and, as a whole, the health of the nation, and to preserve demographic security.
Take care of your health and the health of your children. Vaccination over many years of existence has saved millions of lives. Refusal of vaccination can have very serious consequences!
Epidemiologist Natalia Pobortseva