Romania is participating in the European SHIELD initiative, a joint action aimed at preventing infections that can lead to cancer, including HPV, hepatitis B and C, HIV, and tuberculosis. The program, launched by the European Commission as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, seeks to improve access to vaccination, testing, and early treatment for these preventable diseases. Romania’s involvement is coordinated through the National Institute of Public Health (Institutul Național de Sănătate Publică), which plays a key role in implementing public health strategies at the territorial level via its national and regional centers.
The SHIELD project, funded by nearly 20 million euros from the EU4Health program, will run until the conclude of October 2028 and includes 25 European countries as partners. Its goals include increasing access to HPV and hepatitis B vaccinations, improving detection and testing for hepatitis B and C, HPV, HIV, and tuberculosis, and supporting experts in developing data-driven models based on national health data. These models aim to show how changes in prevention interventions affect disease levels over time.
Romania, which has one of the lowest HPV vaccination rates in Europe, will benefit from European expertise to strengthen its prevention and vaccination programs. In the long term, this is expected to make preventive services more accessible, relevant, inclusive, and cost-effective, according to the European Commission. The initiative underscores the link between infectious diseases and cancer, noting that infections such as HPV, hepatitis B and C, HIV, and tuberculosis cause one in eight cancer cases in Europe.
Many of these infections can be prevented, detected early, and treated more effectively when patients receive timely support. The SHIELD action emphasizes the importance of integrating prevention, screening, and treatment strategies to reduce the burden of infection-related cancers. By focusing on evidence-based interventions and cross-border collaboration, the project aims to improve public health outcomes across participating nations.
The National Institute of Public Health in Romania operates through four national centers, one national reference laboratory, and six regional public health centers, all organized within its structure without separate legal personality. This structure enables the institute to implement national health policies at the local level, including vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance, and health promotion activities.
As part of its role in SHIELD, the institute is expected to contribute national data to the development of predictive models that assess the impact of public health interventions. These models will help policymakers understand how scaling up or reducing specific prevention measures affects infection rates and, cancer incidence over time. The project as well prioritizes training and capacity-building for healthcare professionals involved in infection prevention and control.
Efforts under SHIELD align with broader European goals to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem through HPV vaccination and screening. The World Health Organization has set a target of vaccinating 90% of girls against HPV by age 15, screening 70% of women with high-performance tests by ages 35 and 45, and treating 90% of women with precancerous lesions or invasive cancer. Romania’s participation in SHIELD supports progress toward these targets by strengthening national immunization and early detection programs.
The initiative also addresses hepatitis B and C, which are major risk factors for liver cancer. Vaccination against hepatitis B is highly effective and provides long-term protection, although curative treatments are now available for hepatitis C. SHIELD aims to increase testing rates and link individuals to care, particularly among underserved populations where diagnosis and treatment gaps persist.
For HIV and tuberculosis, the project promotes integrated approaches to testing and treatment, recognizing that co-infection complicates management and increases cancer risk. Early antiretroviral therapy for HIV and timely treatment for tuberculosis not only improve individual health outcomes but also reduce transmission in communities.
By combining vaccination, screening, treatment, and data modeling, SHIELD represents a comprehensive strategy to prevent infection-related cancers. The project’s emphasis on national data ensures that interventions are tailored to local epidemiological contexts while benefiting from shared European expertise and funding.
Official updates on the SHIELD initiative are available through the European Commission’s EU4Health portal and the National Institute of Public Health’s website. Stakeholders, including healthcare providers, policymakers, and civil society organizations, are encouraged to engage with national SHIELD coordination points for information on implementation timelines, training opportunities, and access to resources.
As the project advances toward its 2028 conclusion, monitoring and evaluation will focus on measuring improvements in vaccination coverage, screening rates, and treatment access across participating countries. These metrics will inform future public health strategies aimed at reducing the preventable burden of cancer in Europe.
Readers interested in learning more about infection prevention and cancer risk reduction can consult official guidelines from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and national public health authorities. Staying informed about vaccination schedules, screening recommendations, and available treatments empowers individuals to make proactive choices for their long-term health.
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