Ghanaian Girls to Undergo Vaccination Against Cervical Cancer in September

Ghana will, in the ninth month, undertake a vaccination exercise for girls against Cervical Cancer.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the country will first hold a planned five-day national immunization campaign led by the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

This will be followed by a free vaccination routine for girls aged 9 years aimed at protecting them from the preventable cancer.

In preparation for this, Ghana has received 441,860 doses of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. A second consignment of over 2.5 million doses will be delivered to Ghana in the coming weeks.

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer caused by a viral infection of the female reproductive tract.

Despite being one of the most easily preventable forms of female cancer, efforts towards cervical cancer control are hindered by a lack of knowledge about the disease, risk factors, poor access to preventive services including vaccination, and the affordability of these services.

In a statement, UNICEF which is the lead agency responsible for procuring and shipping these vaccines said the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the National Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) is a significant step in the right direction.

“The HPV vaccine is proven to be safe, and effective to prevent cervical cancer. Over 140 countries have already included the vaccine in their national routine schedules. Making this vaccine available to all girls means they are protected long before there is a risk, reducing the burden they could carry into adulthood.”

Source: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/