Page Content
The Department of Health in the City of Johannesburg has begun a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine campaign to protect primary school girls from getting cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine is administered twice. The first round of vaccinations began yesterday and will run until 30 April, with the second round of the vaccinations set to take place in September until October.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women in developing countries. In South Africa, approximately 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 that 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. Approximately 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 given to girls before exposure to HPV infection.
The HPV vaccine can prevent HPV infections thus preventing cervical cancer. The vaccine campaign targets girls who are 9 years old in public and special schools.
Said Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Health and Social Development, Councillor Eunice Mgcina: “We are pleased that even though all our efforts are currently focused on the Covid-19 pandemic; we are still able as a City to provide much needed vaccination programmes like the HPV vaccine.
“Just as President Cyril Ramaphosa and our National Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize continue to emphasise; vaccination remains the best defense against serious illness and death. Vaccines have reduced the morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases.”
Councillor Mgcina further said 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 strong fighting chance against the opportunistic infections. She concluded by saying that the City’s Primary Health Care practitioners together with its Health Promoters were already on the ground to ensure the success of the HPV vaccination programme accordingly.
The schoolgirls will need to have a consent form signed by either a parent or guardian before the vaccine can be administered. Girls younger than 9 years, those who have already received the HPV 1and 2 vaccine, have been very ill in the last seven days as well as those who are pregnant or breastfeeding will not get the HPV vaccine during the campaign.
