News / Health
HPV vaccination for Zim girls
15 Apr 2014 at 18:52hrs | Views
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will next month introduce an anti-cancer vaccine known as the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination for girls aged 9 to 13 years to prevent cervical cancer among the youths.
The vaccine is meant for young girls before they become sexually active.
Launching the National Demonstration Projects for the HPV Vaccine, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza, said government is committed to controlling, eliminating and eradicating vaccine preventable diseases among children using safe and potent vaccines.
He said cervical cancer caused by sexually transmitted HPV is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and results in 274 000 deaths each year.
"The goal of HPV vaccination is to lead to reduction in cervical cancer deaths and improvement in the health and lives of women for generations to come.
"In Zimbabwe, the whole population of 3,96 million women aged 15 years and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer," he said.
Under the programme, Zimbabwe will deliver vaccines to girls aged 10 years in the two districts of Marondera and Beitbridge, starting from the 19th of May 2014.
The vaccination programme is scheduled to run simultaneously in the two districts and will reach a total of 4 440 ten-year old girls both in schools and out of school and 4 490 girls in 2015.
The vaccine is meant for young girls before they become sexually active.
Launching the National Demonstration Projects for the HPV Vaccine, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Paul Chimedza, said government is committed to controlling, eliminating and eradicating vaccine preventable diseases among children using safe and potent vaccines.
He said cervical cancer caused by sexually transmitted HPV is the second most common cancer in women worldwide and results in 274 000 deaths each year.
"The goal of HPV vaccination is to lead to reduction in cervical cancer deaths and improvement in the health and lives of women for generations to come.
"In Zimbabwe, the whole population of 3,96 million women aged 15 years and older are at risk of developing cervical cancer," he said.
Under the programme, Zimbabwe will deliver vaccines to girls aged 10 years in the two districts of Marondera and Beitbridge, starting from the 19th of May 2014.
The vaccination programme is scheduled to run simultaneously in the two districts and will reach a total of 4 440 ten-year old girls both in schools and out of school and 4 490 girls in 2015.
Source - zbc
