"In the hope of moving towards implementing a strategy to eliminate the human papillomavirus, in 2026, HPV vaccination will be extended to 26 years old," said Rita Sá Machado at the ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the National Immunization Program (PNV).

The Director-General of Health said the measure is "very relevant" for the elimination of a virus associated with several types of cancer, particularly cervical cancer, and added that the DGS standard on the extension of HPV vaccination will be published "very soon."

"For us, it is truly important to include this measure and continue over time to understand what other measures we can also include toward the elimination of the human papillomavirus," said Rita Sá Machado at the ceremony being held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

According to the 2024 annual report of the Secretariat's National Immunization Program, vaccination coverage against HPV infections in girls remained high, exceeding the 90% target.

In boys, the trend observed in recent years of progressively increasing vaccination coverage across the different age groups under analysis continued, approaching that achieved in girls and exceeding the 90% target in the 15-year-old group, the report states.

The HPV vaccine was introduced into the National Immunization Program in 2008, initially for 13-year-old girls.

Later, the vaccination age was raised to 10, covering girls up to 18 years old, and in 2020 it was extended to boys born on or after January 1, 2009.

At the ceremony, hosted by the Directorate-General of Health, Rita Sá Machado considered the 60th anniversary of the National Immunization Program, celebrated on Saturday, "a historic milestone."

"It is a milestone in the history of public health in Portugal, and 60 years later, we can proudly say that this program has profoundly transformed public health in our country. Thanks to high vaccination coverage, Portugal has achieved remarkable results," highlighted the Director-General of Health.