The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness will visit public and special schools to administer the cancer-prevention human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for free.
Also read: WC health department urges parents to consent to HPV vaccinations
According to the Western Cape Government (WCG), all girls aged nine and older are eligible for a single dose of the vaccine. ‘ We know the famous saying, ‘prevention is better than cure,’ and nothing screams prevention like the HPV campaign, that aids our grade five girls at an early age in the development of antibodies against cervical cancer,’ says Sr Tamera Jones, a school health nurse at the Goodwood Community Day Centre.
‘This campaign empowers our young women to think and take action to protect their future and health.’
The visits will be conducted from 6 February to 20 March.
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As per the WCG’s statistics, cervical cancer disproportionately affects the lives of women in the province. Nearly 350 000 vaccines have been administered in the Western Cape since 2014, amounting to nearly 1 200 schools each year.
‘The HPV vaccination programme achieves over 80% coverage annually, demonstrating high acceptance in communities and benefitting more girls in decades to come,’ says Sonia Botha, the Western Cape’s coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
‘This vaccine provides a unique opportunity for us to join hands with communities and invest in the health of women and [the] future of girls in the Western Cape. My granddaughter has had the same HPV vaccine to protect her against cervical cancer. I would like to implore fellow parents of eligible girls to choose to vaccinate against HPV this year.’
The department’s HPV vaccination programme forms part of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030.
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Also read:
Study finds that women who received HPV vaccine has less chance of cervical cancer
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