KUWAIT CITY, Oct 30: Informed health sources revealed the launch of the national campaign for vaccination against Human papillomavirus (HPV) in preventive health centers on Monday. In an exclusive press statement, they affirmed that the Ministry of Health provides the vaccination free of charge to citizens and at about KD 56 per dose to expatriates. The sources indicated that the Ministry of Health distributed the first batch of the vaccine to all preventive health centers in the country, amounting to 900 doses for each center, which will be followed by additional doses distributed to vaccination centers, hospitals, and other relevant agencies.

They stressed the importance of vaccination against HPV to prevent cervical cancers, skin tags, tumors of the throat and mouth, and other cancerous tumors, indicating that this virus causes about 70 percent of cancers of the reproductive system and mouth. The sources explained that the Ministry of Health approved the vaccine some time ago, and during the past few hours, it distributed the first batches of the vaccine to the centers, some of which have already begun the vaccination. However, other centers had many inquiries about the categories excluded from vaccination fees, such as wives and children of citizens, Bedouns, health workers, and others.

This prompted public health officials to hold an expanded meeting yesterday in the presence of heads of preventive healthcare units to issue a detailed circular about the categories excluded from vaccination fees.

The sources went on to explain that the HPV vaccination ranges from two to three doses and targets age groups from 9 to 45 years. Groups of ages from 9 to 14 years receive two doses, with the exception of immunodeficiency patients who receive three doses, similar to the age group from 15 to 45 years.

It is worth noting that Human Papillomavirus is a common virus that can affect different parts of the body. There are more than 100 types of HPV, including the strains of HPV that cause warts on the hands, feet, and face, as well as the rectum and anus. Human papillomavirus affects the genital area and occurs as a result of a sexually transmitted infection. The infection is transmitted by touching the skin.

However, most strains of the virus are harmless, especially the type that causes genital warts. There are some more dangerous strains of HPV, which may increase the risk of cancer, especially cervical cancer, and early detection helps treat the condition better.

In most cases, HPV does not cause signs and symptoms, but some symptoms can be observed, most notably the appearance of warts in the affected area. They are swollen lumps on top of the skin and can appear a few weeks, months, or years after the infection occurs.

These warts can be caused by a virus infection, such as the various forms of the human papillomavirus, but they do not cause harm. In more serious cases, symptoms of HPV may not be noticed, but they may begin to appear as the cancer develops. Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by the human papillomavirus, but there are some other types of cancer that can result from it, but they are rare, such as anal cancer, vulvar cancer, vaginal cancer, penile cancer, and laryngeal cancer.