ROME – Serie A Women and MSD Italia have launched a new public health communication campaign, approved by the Italian Ministry of Health, titled “Blocca l’HPV con la vaccinazione” (Block HPV with Vaccination). This initiative highlights the importance of preventing cancers linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection.
The project utilizes a multi-channel approach centered around a powerful metaphor: a goalkeeper blocking a ball. This symbolizes defense and protection, mirroring how the HPV vaccine works to prevent infection. Just as stopping the ball prevents the opposing team from scoring, vaccination prevents the development of potentially fatal cancers in both men and women.
Gabriele Gravina, President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), stated, “Sport is synonymous with wellness, and the FIGC is committed to promoting best practices in prevention daily. Thanks to the collaboration with MSD Italia, with whom we share the value of protecting health, we want to promote an ambitious awareness campaign that aims to encourage vaccination and therefore prevention against HPV, a virus that can cause potentially fatal cancers in both women and men. Through its sensitivity and great communication potential, football offers itself as a tool to convey socially useful messages.”
Federica Cappelletti, President of Serie A Women, added, “I am proud that Serie A Women has chosen to support such an important public health issue. We know that HPV-related cancers represent a significant challenge to the health of both women and men, and we are ready to do our part to spread these prevention messages as much as possible. Our goal is to protect everyone. It’s essential to strengthen our defense by adhering to vaccination and screening programs offered by the National Health Service, just like goalkeepers who protect their goal every week by blocking balls. Only by working together as a team can we truly make a difference.”
Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO of MSD Italia, explained, “Being part of a communication project together with those who represent one of the greatest passions of Italians is a source of great pride for us. Creating a vaccination campaign of this magnitude with Serie A Women is an important step in our commitment to preventing Papillomavirus, which we consider an investment in the future of people and the country. Thanks to creative work using modern techniques and innovative communication channels, we can reach an ever-wider audience. We want to continue to be allies of the National Health Service and all those involved, with the aim of stopping HPV-related cancers, also through information and awareness initiatives. Working together with the Italian women’s football league, we have a great opportunity to win the prevention match.”
At the heart of the campaign is a video showcasing spectacular saves by goalkeepers, created using artificial intelligence and inspired by real actions of Serie A Women players. Each scene concludes with a clear message: “Blocca l’HPV con la vaccinazione” (Block HPV with Vaccination), encouraging viewers to seek information from their doctor, vaccination center, or by visiting www.infohpv.it, a website authorized by the Ministry of Health. The campaign will be visible on all digital channels, YouTube, and social media platforms (Facebook and TikTok), and will be broadcast on DAZN during Serie A Women matches through the end of the season, as well as on other television channels during the Women’s Coppa Italia. The message will also be promoted on LED boards around the field at Italian stadiums hosting the Women’s Coppa Italia.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in both sexes. While the virus often resolves on its own, persistent infections can lead to precancerous lesions and potentially fatal cancers. Currently, in Europe, HPV is estimated to cause 100% of cervical cancers, 88% of anal cancers, 78% of vaginal cancers, 25% of vulvar cancers, 53% of penile cancers, and 30% of oropharyngeal cancers. In Italy, approximately 8,800 cancers are estimated to be caused by chronic infections with oncogenic HPV strains each year.
“The prevention of Papillomavirus is among the main challenges of Public Health,” commented Enrico Di Rosa, President of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health (SItI). “We work to achieve a world free from this virus and the diseases and cancers associated with HPV by working with all actors in Public Health. What we have is a goal we can and must achieve by correctly implementing the prevention strategies at our disposal: vaccination for men and women and screening programs for the female population. Campaigns like this are important to encourage the general population to ask their doctor or vaccination center for more information in order to study the most appropriate prevention plan for each individual at every age.”
Elsa Viora, President of the Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SIGO), added, “Thanks to HPV prevention, we can achieve an important milestone and make cervical cancer increasingly rare. The possibility of avoiding the onset of a potentially fatal carcinoma is an opportunity we absolutely cannot miss. Primary prevention through vaccination, combined with secondary prevention through screening (Pap test and HPV DNA test), are the tools that can support us in achieving this goal. However, let us remember that HPV is not just a female issue; it also affects men, who can become carriers of the virus or develop other cancers and precancerous lesions. Prevention is and must be for everyone.”
-photo mec/Italpress-
(ITALPRESS).
