In 2019, the Costa Rican authorities began mandatory vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in 10-year-old girls, as part of the actions to achieve the country’s goal of eradicating cervical cancer. 93% of parents or guardians of minors, support vaccination in their children despite the fact that they do not handle correct information about the virus and its consequences.
This was determined by a study carried out by the University of Medical Sciences (UCIMED). “There is a fraction of knowledge about the multiple serotypes of HPV. With the study we revealed that only 46% of the participants handle correct information in this regard and the majority are unaware of the protection afforded by the vaccine”, explained Sebastián Ospina, a researcher at the university.
Clear acceptance of the HPV vaccine
Those in charge of the investigation interviewed 284 parents, responsible for children under 10 years of age in 15 public schools in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM). “The study showed that there is a clear acceptance of the HPV vaccine, in addition, that social, religious, educational variants, as well as popular beliefs, are not defining in the decision to vaccinate or not. It can be confirmed that the acceptance is due to the need to comply with the vaccination schedules,” added Ospina.
Research indicates that people are aware of the importance of the vaccine, especially because of the decreased risk in cervical cancer.
