Burden of human papillomavirus infection and related diseases in Israel

This manuscript provides the available data on the burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and HPV-related diseases in Israel. The incidence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) among Jewish women was 17.4 per 100,000 in 2007, showing an increase since 1997. The incidence of cervical cancer was 5.3 per 100,000 Israeli Jewish women and 2.3 per 100,000 Israeli non-Jewish women in 2007. This rate is relatively low compared to other developed countries, and could be explained by cultural and religious factors such as male circumcision or sexual behavior. Mortality rates were around 1.5 per 100,000 Israeli women in 2007. Incidences of other anogenital, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers are very low, below 1.0 per 100.000 Israeli women and men. Information is scarce on HPV prevalence and HPV type distribution among women with cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 were the two most common types in both preneoplastic lesions and cervical cancer, representing 60% of total invasive cases. Data on genital warts show an incidence rate of 239 per 100,000 men and 185 per 100,000 women, similar to that found in other Western countries. Despite these low incidences, it is important to improve the information on the overall burden of HPV-related morbidity and on the HPV prevalence to evaluate an organized cervical cancer screening program and the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the national school-based vaccine program. This article forms part of a regional report entitled "Comprehensive Control of HPV Infections and Related Diseases in Israel" Vaccine Volume 31, Supplement 8, 2013. Updates of the progress in the field are presented in a separate monograph entitled "Comprehensive Control of HPV Infections and Related Diseases" Vaccine Volume 30, Supplement 5, 2012.