280,000 Ten-Year-Old Girls Already Vaccinated With HPV Vaccine

Cabinet Secretary for Health Dr. Sicily Kariuki said on Wednesday, 13^th November 2019, that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for ten-year-old girls in the country is on course and quelled fears about the vaccines after effects.

The free HPV vaccination was rolled out by the Ministry of Health on 18^th October 2019 and targeted 800,000 ten-year-old girls across the country.

CS Sicily Kariuki confirmed that the exercise, which is the first dose of the vaccine is ongoing and so far, 280,000 girls have received it (the first dose).

According to the CS, the current weather conditions led to the closure of several schools in some counties, thereby disrupting the whole vaccination plan in those counties.

The CS, however, promised that the process will resume in the five counties, Mandera, Garissa, Laikipia, Lamu and Turkana once the county administrators make arrangements.

“The government is committed to meeting the target of having 800,000 girls immunized against HPV. We are making arrangements with county governments so that we are able to give the vaccine to the children from the five counties who were not vaccinated,” said the CS.

The plan to give free vaccination to Kenyan ten-year-old girls in a bid to protect the girls against cervical cancer whose main cause is HPV was received differently by Kenyans, some being religious leaders who believe that as long as girls remain chaste and married couples faithful, there is no need for the vaccine.

CS Sicily Kariuki, however, downplayed the superstitious and religious claims during a media briefing called by her ministry and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) to give updates on the vaccine.

The CS urged Kenyans to let the vaccination go on and warned them against succumbing to misinformation and superstitious beliefs that hold no water.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working towards eliminating cervical cancer, and in its fight with cancer, it had planned to have 90 percent of girls under 15years of age vaccinated against HPV by 2030, and having women around the world have access to cervical cancer screening.

Protection against HPV is said to be protected not only from cervical cancer but other conditions such as fighting the germs that cause infections, reducing the incidence of anogenital cancer and genital warts, decreasing the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer and reducing the maternal transmission of HPV infections to infants.

READ ALSO: Ten Year Old Girls In Kenya To Get Free HPV Vaccination