First Lady launches cervical cancer vaccination campaign
A national vaccination campaign to protect young girls against cervical cancer was launched yesterday at Dodowa. The campaign dubbed, the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme, is being funded by the GAVI-Alliance and the Danish government.
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Launching the campaign, the First Lady, Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, said one of the main causes of death in women was cervical cancer which accounted for about 58 per cent of all gynaecological cancers.
She added that the causes of cervical cancer included early initiation into sexual activities, unprotected sex with multiple partners and infection with HPV.
Mrs Mahama advised parents to educate their daughters that the vaccine did not prevent other kinds of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/ADIS or pregnancy.
Process of vaccination
The Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, informed the public that the approach to the delivery of the HPV vaccine would be mainly school-based with class four being the target.
She said nurses and other health workers had been trained in the administration of the HPV vaccine and the management of adverse reactions that might occur.
She noted that girls who are out of school would also be vaccinated in the second phase of the project.
Ms Ayittey made it known to the public that a pilot exercise of the vaccination programme would be held in the Damgbe West District.
The results of the pilot programme, according to Ms Ayittey, would guide the extension of the vaccination exercise to other parts of the country.
Child development
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, who chaired the launch, admonished mothers to accept the vaccination module since it would ensure the development of their female children.
She lauded the Ministry of Health and its development partners for initiating this intervention programme to curtail the high rate of cervical cancer infection in Ghana.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Ms Mirgit Meyer, said the Danish government would continue to financially support the HPV vaccination programme in Ghana and commended Ghana for its efforts at reducing cervical cancer in the country.
Daily Graphic/Ghana