DThe chairman of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) has spoken out in favor of strengthening the role of schools to increase the number of vaccinations against cancer-causing HPV infections. The tolerability of the vaccines is “excellent” and the vaccination itself “very effective”, so there is generally nothing to say against it, virologist Klaus Überla told the Funke newspapers at the weekend. “We should use new approaches to increase vaccination rates.”

In other countries, it is clear that “the best vaccination rates are achieved with school vaccinations,” Überla said. Therefore, vaccination should also be given in the schools of this country. “It would be a good way to raise the rate and thereby save lives in the long run.” The virologist also thinks it makes sense to provide more information in schools about the development of tumors and the effectiveness of vaccination.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, HPV infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Human papillomaviruses (HPV) can cause cancer, such as cervical cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the EU are pursuing a target of at least 90 percent vaccination coverage for 15-year-old girls and a significant increase in 15-year-old boys by 2030. Currently, only 54 percent of 15-year-old girls and 27 percent of boys of the same age are fully vaccinated against HPV in Germany.