By Gloria Amoh
In an effort to reduce the prevalence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) among women, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) will roll out a vaccination campaign by the end of the year, targeting young adolescents aged 9–14.
The vaccination will help immunise adolescents before engaging in sexual activity.
The Programmes Manager for the Expanded Programmes on Immunization at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Kwame Amponsah Achiano, emphasised the importance of vaccination for each child.
“Because we have already done a pilot, which was to learn lessons, we will roll out a nationwide vaccination, and our focus is usually on young people before they start their sexual debut. So by the end of the year, we should have started the vaccination.”
While we were doing the piloting, we had to give three doses, then it came to two, and now we are talking of one, but the one dose is also premised on the fact that we need to have a well-established screening, but we are likely to do two doses because that is the best card put forward.” he stated
According to the ICO/IARC Information Centre on Humanpapillomavirus (HPV), Ghana has a population of 10.6 million women ages 15 and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
Current estimates indicate that every year, 2797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 1699 die from the disease.
