By Staff Reporter
info@alexreporter.co.za
City runs a HPV vaccine campaign to protect young girls against Cervical Cancer
The City of Johannesburg’s Health Department has restarted the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine campaign to protect primary school girls from getting cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine is administered twice. The first round of vaccine takes place from 1 March to 30 April 2021.
The second round of the vaccine will take place in September and October 2021.
The HPV Vaccine Campaign, which is a partnership between the City, National Department of Health and Basic Education, targets girls who are 9 years old in public and special schools.
Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in women in developing countries.
In South Africa, it is estimated that about 5 743 women will develop cervical cancer and 3 027 women will die from it.
Cervical cancer is caused by HPV, which is a sexually transmitted infection and is detected through pap smear testing and routine pelvic exams.
The HPV vaccine campaign started in 2014 and targets 518 schools in the City of Joburg. About 23 000 to 30 000 primary school girls receive the HPV vaccine.
The vaccine is shown to be more effective in young girls and should be administered before exposure to HPV infection.
“Although our efforts are currently focused on Covid-19, we are pleased that we are still able as a City to provide much-needed vaccination programmes like the HPV vaccine,” said Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Health and Social Development Cllr Eunice Mgcina.
“Just as President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr ZweliMkhize continue to emphasise that vaccination remains the best defence against serious illness and death.
“Vaccines have reduced the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases.”
MMC Mgcina added that it was essential that parents were encouraged and educated about the importance of vaccinating the girl-children against HPV so as to best equip them with a fighting chance against the opportunistic infections.
She said the City’s Primary Health Care practitioners together with Health Promoters were already on the ground to ensure the success of the HPV vaccination programme.
The school girls will need to have a signed consent form by a parent or guardian before the vaccine can be administered.
Girls younger than 9 years, girls who have already received the HPV 1 and 2 vaccine, girls that have been very ill in the last seven days and girls who are pregnant or breastfeeding will not get the HPV vaccine during the campaign.