A new report from the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee shows that cancer mortality rates are going down and this is great news. However, cervical cancer rates have stopped declining in Canada. More than 99 percent of all cervical cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). A safe and effective HPV vaccine has been available through Ontario’s School Immunization Program since 2007. This vaccine not only prevents cervical cancer but protects against several other cancers caused by HPV infection, such as oral, throat, anal and penile, types of cancer that many of us have seen affect people we know.
Unfortunately, in Simcoe Muskoka only about 63 percent of Grade 7 students receive this important cancer prevention vaccine, leaving more than 2,000 Grade 7 youth each year unprotected against several types of cancer that could impact them in the future.
Locally, the rate of cervical cancer for females aged 20 to 44 years is about 50 percent higher in Simcoe Muskoka than in Ontario. It is estimated that over 75 percent of Canadians will have an HPV infection at some point in their lifetime, as it is easily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact during sex. Condoms provide only partial protection against HPV infection. By contrast, HPV immunization offers lifelong, bulletproof protection against HPV—a fact supported by a 2024 study in Scotland that found zero cases of cervical cancer among young women fully vaccinated against HPV.
If you are still in high school and missed the HPV vaccine in Grade 7, it is not too late. In Ontario, students can receive the HPV vaccine for free until the end of Grade 12, and men who have sex with men are eligible until age 26. Talk with your health care provider about the vaccine or book an appointment at a health unit immunization clinic.
The Public Health Agency of Canada shares that the risk of cancer from HPV goes beyond cervical cancer as there are more than 100 types of HPV and it is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI). Both men and women can get HPV which is responsible for 80 to 90 percent of anal cancers, 40 percent of vaginal and vulvar cancers, 40 to 50 percent of penile cancers, and 25 to 35 percent of mouth and throat cancers in Canada.
The HPV vaccine is 99 percent effective at preventing HPV infections, as well as the cancers and warts they can cause. In my clinical practice, I have seen young people devastated when they seek medical care for their genital warts. None of these patients had received the HPV vaccine and all of them wish they had.
Vaccines work best when given before someone is exposed to a disease which is why the vaccine is offered to students in Ontario in Grade 7 through in-school immunization programs, along with vaccines for meningococcal disease and hepatitis B. Vaccines are also more effective when given to young teens when their immune systems are most responsive to the vaccine.
While the vaccines for HPV and hepatitis B are not required to attend school, they are strongly recommended. The fact that HPV and hepatitis B are sexually transmitted viruses adds a stigma that can cause parents to hesitate to vaccinate against those diseases, and there is also confusion about who needs to get vaccinated for HPV due to its link to cervical cancer. However, because HPV can cause other types of cancers and warts that affect males and females, the vaccine has been available to both sexes since 2016.
Grade 7 might seem too early to worry about protecting them from STIs and it is natural to want to wait until they are “ready” or are an adult, but vaccines are needed before a person is exposed to infection. Moreover, the vaccines do not cause or lead them to be sexually active sooner. The HPV and hepatitis B vaccines each need two doses, and the body needs time to build up strong immunity. This is why we offer these vaccines to students when they are in Grade 7—so they can grow up to be healthy and protected from these preventable diseases.
Until the latest Canadian Cancer Statistic report showed the plateau in cervical cancer rates, Canada had been on target to eliminate HPV by 2040. Australia is on track to reach HPV elimination status by 2035, so it is possible to eliminate it here as well. By preventing the spread of HPV with vaccination, we can protect people’s health and ultimately, eliminate cervical and HPV-related cancers, and genital warts. Getting students vaccinated against HPV is not just about reducing the spread of an STI, it is about protecting people from an entirely preventable cancer.
For more information about routine and required vaccines given to students and the diseases they prevent, please visit smdhu.org. To speak with a public health professional, call 705-721-7520, ext. 8827 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Colin Lee is an Associate Medical Officer of Health at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. His primary responsibilities are in the areas of vaccine preventable diseases, infectious disease and sexual health.
