This episode of Health in Europe focuses on a very important question – can vaccines prevent cancer? We know that cancer is a complicated and elusive disease. According to WHO, cancer is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 10 million deaths in 2020. So, the potential to prevent some types of cancer through vaccination is quite literally life-saving.
Dr. Nino Berdzuli, the Director of the Division of Country Health Programs at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, has extensive experience in public health. In this episode, Dr Berdzuli talks sheds light on how vaccination programmes can support and strengthen health systems, the progress made by the WHO European Region in addressing cancer, and how vaccines can prevent certain types of cancers – such as cancers caused by HPV. The conversation is led by our media officer, Bhanu Bhatnagar.
More about Cancer: https://www.who.int/europe/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1
More about Vaccines and Immunization: https://www.who.int/europe/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization
More about WHO/Europe: https://www.who.int/europe/home?v=welcome
This episode of Health in Europe focuses on a very important question – can vaccines prevent cancer? We know that cancer is a complicated and elusive disease. According to WHO, cancer is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 10 million deaths in 2020. So, the potential to prevent some types of cancer through vaccination is quite literally life-saving.
Dr. Nino Berdzuli, the Director of the Division of Country Health Programs at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, has extensive experience in public health. In this episode, Dr Berdzuli talks sheds light on how vaccination programmes can support and strengthen health systems, the progress made by the WHO European Region in addressing cancer, and how vaccines can prevent certain types of cancers – such as cancers caused by HPV. The conversation is led by our media officer, Bhanu Bhatnagar.
More about Cancer: https://www.who.int/europe/health-topics/cancer#tab=tab_1
More about Vaccines and Immunization: https://www.who.int/europe/health-topics/vaccines-and-immunization
More about WHO/Europe: https://www.who.int/europe/home?v=welcome
00:00:00:04 - 00:00:48:03
David Barrett
Hello and welcome to the Health in Europe podcast. I'm your host, David Barrett. We've launched this podcast to bring you the latest on WHO's work in the European Region. Our region is broad and diverse from the mid-Atlantic and stretching as far as the Chinese border, we work with fascinating individuals and groups. This podcast is about hearing their stories and how they might impact your day to day life.
00:00:53:09 - 00:01:24:06
David Barrett
This episode of Health in Europe focuses on a very important question - Can vaccines prevent cancer? We know that cancer is a complicated and elusive disease. According to W.H.O., cancer is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 10 million deaths in the year 2020. So the potential to prevent some types of cancer through vaccination is quite literally life saving.
00:01:25:17 - 00:01:55:05
David Barrett
Dr. Nino Berdzuli, who is the director of the Division of Country Health Programs at the W.H.O. Regional Office for Europe, has extensive experience in public health. In this conversation, Dr. Berdzuli sheds light on how vaccination programs can support and strengthen health systems. The progress made by the W.H.O. European region in addressing cancer and how vaccines can prevent certain types of cancers.
00:01:56:01 - 00:02:08:13
David Barrett
This conversation is led by our media officer, Bhanu Bhatnagar.
00:02:09:09 - 00:02:25:11
Bhanu Bhatnagar
Thank you, Nino, for sharing your time with us today. So if I can jump straight in. We all know that vaccines can prevent some infectious diseases and in the case of COVID 19 can also prevent severe forms of the disease. But can it really prevent cancer as well?
00:02:26:10 - 00:02:59:13
Dr Nino Berdzuli
Thank you so much. First of all, for having me and for this very important conversation. Vaccination is the most effective public health intervention available today and the most important tool for preventing the infectious disease. But today, we currently have about 30 vaccines that prevent infections, infectious disease. But it is important to remember that the benefits of vaccines go beyond the preventing infectious disease.
00:02:59:22 - 00:03:11:03
Dr Nino Berdzuli
Not all cancers, but yes, some types of the cancers are largely, in fact, preventable by the by the vaccines and that this includes cervical cancer and liver cancer.
00:03:11:13 - 00:03:31:22
Bhanu Bhatnagar
So most people think of vaccines as a tool to protect against bacteria, viruses and bacteria. Can you tell me a little bit about how vaccines can prevent cancer? You mentioned liver and cervical cancer, so taking those two cancers. Explain to me the you know, the how how does it happen? How do we prevent those diseases?
00:03:32:21 - 00:04:13:19
Dr Nino Berdzuli
First of all, cancer is a very complex disease and the research continues. Research expansion of the research gives us an opportunity to learn and discover the causes of cancer. We know that it's a very important lifestyle and that behavioral risk factors such as tobacco use, alcohol use, as well as the environmental factors such as pollution, can cause. Cancer research has also shown that the chronic infections that are linked with some types of the cancers, some types of the viruses can cause lead to the cancer.
00:04:13:20 - 00:04:45:00
Dr Nino Berdzuli
This is the case with the human papilloma virus and hepatitis B virus. Most of the people over the course of life can be infected with the human papilloma virus, but most of the time these can clean up. The body can on its own, can clean up the infection. But in some cases, the infection persists and over the time that can lead, as I said, to the development of the of the cancer.
00:04:45:17 - 00:05:37:15
Dr Nino Berdzuli
With regard to the hepatitis B virus, the hepatitis B virus can be transmitted from mother to child during the delivery, but it can also be transmitted through the contaminated blood or the body fluids. Over 90% of hepatitis B virus infections and acute hepatitis can be cured or cleaned, but over 90% of the babies who are infected with the hepatitis B virus and over 50% of the children under the five years of age can develop the chronic infection that can lead over the time to liver cirrhosis or the liver cancer.
00:05:38:20 - 00:05:51:18
Dr Nino Berdzuli
But the good news is that we have the effective, very effective vaccines against the HPV human papilloma virus and the hepatitis B virus that can save the millions lives.
00:05:52:01 - 00:05:59:07
Bhanu Bhatnagar
Should we be worried about the HPV and the hepatitis B virus, particularly among children? For example?
00:05:59:13 - 00:06:25:24
Dr Nino Berdzuli
We we definitely need to reap the benefit of vaccines that we have available today and that, as I said, the hepatitis B virus is more than 95% effective. And the HPV human papilloma virus vaccine is more than 90% effective. So we have the tools we have the solution in our hands that we have to be definitely using. These vaccines are for certain age.
00:06:25:24 - 00:06:57:12
Dr Nino Berdzuli
And the population groups, for example, the HPV human papilloma virus vaccine is offered is preventing the new is effective, preventing the new infections before the person is getting the exposure to a virus. So that's why it is offered to the pre adolescent girls. The hepatitis B virus vaccination is a part of the routine childhood immunization programs. It can also be offered to certain high risk groups, such as, for example, the health care provider.
00:06:57:22 - 00:07:27:03
Dr Nino Berdzuli
So our strategy, our guidance for the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030, which was adopted at the World Health Assembly and very recently last year, we also developed a road map for elimination of the cervical cancer for the European region adopted by all Member States provides the guidance for the Member States in terms of the the coverage of the vaccine, the age, the age groups.
00:07:27:06 - 00:07:42:02
Dr Nino Berdzuli
So the first pillar in the cervical cancer elimination roadmap is to achieve the 90% coverage of HPV vaccine by the age of 15 years. So this is certainly the group that we primarily be targeting for.
00:07:42:06 - 00:08:06:02
Bhanu Bhatnagar
Okay. So that brings me neatly to my next question, which is let's take a little bit of a, you know, a zoom out to look at the European region. Right. 53 member states in our region, the largest of the W.H.O. regions. So how is our region doing when it comes to addressing cancer with these vaccines? What's the report card like.
00:08:06:23 - 00:08:35:23
Dr Nino Berdzuli
In the W.H.O. European region? We have 45 out of 53 member states that have introduced the HPV vaccination as a part of their routine national immunization program. So we can say that the the introduction of the vaccine in the European region is pretty high. But if we look at the uptake of the vaccine and the coverage of the HPV vaccination, the situation, the picture is a bit different.
00:08:36:02 - 00:09:16:10
Dr Nino Berdzuli
We have the the inequalities, disparities between the countries and also within the countries, between the different groups of the population. So it is very important that we target those inequalities and we address those inequalities in terms of the uptake of the vaccination. England was one of the first countries that introduced the HPV vaccine, and the data shows that England practically eliminated cervical cancer in the cohort of women that were born in 1995 and after.
00:09:16:21 - 00:09:45:08
Dr Nino Berdzuli
So this really shows that the vaccination, the HPV vaccination, is very effective and once the uptake is very high, so the public health benefit is very high for the hepatitis B vaccination. Almost all countries, all countries in the European region have introduced this vaccine and have the high coverage of of this vaccine in in the children. It is part, as I said, part of the routine childhood immunization schedule.
00:09:45:24 - 00:10:19:08
Dr Nino Berdzuli
This vaccine is also offered to certain high risk groups, for example, their health care providers. It is the nine countries in the European region have already achieved the hepatitis B control targets and validated by the W.H.O.. So this is a really big achievement, and I hope that many countries in the European region will follow that path. So that's that's good news.
00:10:19:21 - 00:10:42:00
Bhanu Bhatnagar
And it's nice to hear good news and and the progress and the success that we're we're making here in this region. So there's obviously a lot we know about how vaccines prevent infectious diseases and now also cancer, thanks to what you've been telling us. But can you tell us a little bit about how vaccination programs actually support health systems themselves or strengthen those health systems?
00:10:42:07 - 00:10:43:18
Bhanu Bhatnagar
How does that work, that interplay?
00:10:44:09 - 00:11:26:14
Dr Nino Berdzuli
We know that strengthening routine immunization programs will strengthen the health system's capacity to withhold any stress that the health system might might have. The WTO, together with the partners, has been supporting the countries in our member states and the the national stakeholders in building the resilient national immunization programs, investing in training of health care providers, investing in the cold chain capacities of the countries, understanding the the community, insights for demand and acceptance for vaccines.
00:11:26:15 - 00:11:45:03
Dr Nino Berdzuli
So this is a very important component of our work with with the countries. And at this pace of definitely investment in the routine immunization programs will strengthen the health system and it will pave the way for effective delivery of primary health care.
00:11:45:18 - 00:11:58:16
Bhanu Bhatnagar
So, Nina, there's been a lot discussed in the media recently about the potential for vaccines against cancer once it's actually developed. Tell us a little bit about the future of cancer vaccines.
00:11:59:18 - 00:12:30:21
Dr Nino Berdzuli
Some stringent regulatory agencies in in developed countries have already granted the breakthrough therapy designation to some cancer vaccines that are in the pipeline. That includes the cancer for melanoma, skin cancer. And there are very important developments for other types of the cancer, which includes the ovarian, the lung cancer, colorectal cancer, brain cancer. So these are very important developments that we really need to watch for.
00:12:31:02 - 00:12:50:19
Dr Nino Berdzuli
And see how it will how it will evolve. Definitely, this development provides the hope for effective treatment for cancer. And there are some promising news, promising developments that we really need to watch for.
00:12:51:12 - 00:13:01:03
Bhanu Bhatnagar
So finally, Nino, I'd like to ask you, what is your advice to parents who are considering an HPV or hepatitis B vaccine for their children?
00:13:01:18 - 00:13:51:08
Dr Nino Berdzuli
Get vaccinated. Definitely. That simple. It may sound simple, but of course we understand there are some questions and the concerns that the the parents might might have. And it is it is okay to have this concern, but it is seeking the trustworthy information, credible and reliable information from the credible and reliable sources are equally important. And for that, it is very important to go to to have a dialog with the health care provider, the parents, the caregivers, you know, need to go to their health care provider to have this dialog about any concern that they might have in terms of the vaccine safety vaccine use or the impact of the vaccines.
00:13:52:08 - 00:14:15:00
Dr Nino Berdzuli
Immunization is an investment in the future, in the future of the in the health of future of the generations to come. And even when we know that we have the effective vaccines that can prevent the cancer, for example, it is injustice not to use and not equitably use this vaccine. So get vaccinated.
00:14:15:00 - 00:14:55:16
Bhanu Bhatnagar
Get vaccinated. A very powerful message there. Thank you so much, Nino, for sharing your thoughts with us today. And to our viewers, hope you found this informative. Perhaps you even learn something new. And as Nina said, an investment in immunization is an investment in your future because vaccines save lives.
00:14:56:10 - 00:15:19:05
David Barrett
That's all we have time for. A very special thanks to Dr. Nino Berdzuli and Bhanu Bhatnagar. This episode of Health in Europe has produced in part by Dr. Siddhartha Data and Catharina de kat Reynen. The editing and sound design was by me, David Barrett. And if you would like to find out more about the topics covered in this episode, check out the links in the show notes.
00:15:19:20 - 00:15:47:06
David Barrett
Also, be sure to have a listen to any of the over 30 episodes of the Health and Europe podcast available wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and until next time. Stay safe and stay healthy.