Page 833 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 2 May 2007
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The development of the vaccine was a wonderful breakthrough in women’s health. It was made possible by an Australian—the Australian of the Year last year—Professor Ian Frazer. The vaccine guards against two strains of HPV—16 and 18—which cause up to 70 per cent of cervical cancers and another two strains that cause 90 per cent of genital warts.
The technology that forms the basis of this vaccine arose from collaboration in the early 1990s between Professor Frazer from the University of Queensland and the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. The landmark discovery leading to an HPV vaccine was that the virus coat protein spontaneously assembles to form empty capsids, known as virus-like particles—or VLPs—when expressed in yeast or other cells.
Professor Frazer’s achievement was truly revolutionary because, prior to his discovery of VLPs, a vaccine for cervical cancer had been inconceivable because no researcher had been able to grow the HP virus in the lab.
In short, the vaccine represents a milestone in Australian and medical history. Every year in Australia approximately 90,000 women have a low-grade cancer lesion detected and 15,000 women have a high-grade cancer lesion detected through Pap test screening. The incidence of lesions peaks in women aged 20 to 24 years.
Each year there are 20,000 hospital admissions in Australia for cervical dysplasia and cancer of the cervix. Although cervical cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths globally, in Australia the death rate from cervical cancer is relatively low. This is because of the effectiveness of the national cervical screening program in Australia. However, it still does cause more than 250 deaths each year. In the ACT about 10 women are diagnosed and about three die annually from the disease.
But this vaccine has the potential to save these lives every year. It is a truly remarkable breakthrough. It is a great breakthrough for women’s health, and one that the commonwealth government should be applauded for.
MR GENTLEMAN: I ask a supplementary question. Minister, could you update the Assembly on the rollout of this vaccine in the ACT?
MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Gentleman. Up to 14,000 female students across Canberra high schools and colleges will be offered the free vaccine during a two-year catch-up program progressively from this week. I attended Melrose high school today where the year 7s and year 10s were being done. I understand that was the seventh school this week, the rollout having started on Monday, although I cannot recall the name of the school. There were not too many happy faces among the students today, but I am sure the benefits in the future will be worth the tears that were being shed today.
The territory government’s role is to deliver the program in ACT schools. In 2007 the vaccine will be provided to female students, with parental consent, in years 7, 10, 11 and 12 and will be offered to girls in years 7, 9 and 10 during the 2008 school year. In
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