Medical experts encourage citizens to take vaccinations

Medical experts have reminded the public of the importance of vaccinations during the ongoing National Cancer Prevention Week, which kicked off on Wednesday.

During a live broadcast held on Friday, medical experts said that vaccinations can play an effective role in the prevention of certain types of cancer, a disease that claims the lives of 2.3 million people in China every year.

The National Health Commission on March 30 released a guideline on cancer prevention and treatment, specifying that cancers are preventable through practicing good personal hygiene, having a healthy lifestyle and getting vaccinations.

Doctors said that the number of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China account for around half of the world's total, and the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the main culprit behind HCC cases in China.

"Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent HBV infection and more attention should be paid on popularizing the vaccine among adults as we've seen a significant reduction in the number of child cases since the vaccine was made compulsory for newborns," said Xu Jie, a chief physician at the Shanghai No 9 People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Qiao Youlin, a professor of epidemiology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences' Cancer Hospital in Beijing, also pointed out during the live broadcast the best age bracket for women to have vaccinations against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer.

"Research has shown that girls aged between 9 and 15 show the highest immune response to the vaccines. We hope parents do not miss this window of opportunity for their girls," he said.