No link between HPV vaccine and infertility: experts

Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh today said the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is safe and effective for women in preventing cervical cancer.

Also, HPV vaccine has no connection to infertility or reduced reproductive capacity, OGSB said in a press release, undersigned by its president Prof Farhana Dewan and general secretary Prof Salma Rouf.

This bivalent HPV vaccine is manufactured in Belgium and is approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), the release also said.

''Receiving this vaccine does not cause complications during pregnancy or childbirth; rather, it helps protect against cervical cancer. A total of 143 countries, including 17 Muslim countries, have successfully implemented this vaccination programme,'' the release read.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women.

Approximately 660,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, and about 350,000 die from it, according to WHO data from 2022.

Around 94 percent of these deaths occur in developing or low-income countries like Bangladesh, where cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women aged 15 to 44, with 16 out of every 100,000 women being diagnosed with the disease and 4-5 per 100,000 dying from it annually.

The HPV vaccination programme is part of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), which aims to combat cervical cancer in Bangladesh.

The EPI has set a target to vaccinate over 6.2 million individuals, including nearly 5.9 million schoolgoers, across seven divisions of Bangladesh excluding Dhaka.

The HPV vaccination campaign started from October 24, and nearly 4.2 million adolescent girls have already been vaccinated, which accounts for about 70 percent of the target.

On October 29, some students of a school in Bhola fell sick during HPV vaccination, including those not vaccinated yet, due to what doctors said was "mass hysteria". A three-member committee was later formed to investigate in this regard.

On October,30, Professor Mohammad Abu Jafor, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, refuted claims that the HPV vaccine causes infertility or violates religious guidelines.

Stressing the alarming rise of cervical cancer in Bangladesh, with nearly 8,268 women being diagnosed and 4,971 dying with it annually in the country, OGSB requested everyone's support to prevent misinformation and encourage parents and guardians to motivate young girls for successful implementation of the programme.