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HPV vaccine now being offered to boys and girls as old as 16 – Ministry announces
Days after an official announcement about its decision to include boys in its Human papillomavirus [HPV] campaign, a formal notice has been publicised in the daily newspapers informing parents of this latest Cabinet-endorsed development.
The notice issued by the Ministry of Public Health states that “the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Education is pleased to announce that the vaccine [HPV] is now extended to 16 year old boys and girls equally.”
The HPV Vaccination campaign was first announced in 2010 under the then Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. In 2011, the campaign was first launched targeting girls between nine and 11 years old. The age was later extended to include girls up to 13 years old.
However, during the launch of yet another campaign this week, Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, announced that boys will now be included in the campaign. Recognising this as a move in the right direction, Dr. Ramsammy has since vocalised his thoughts on the issue stating, “I urge that this announcement is not merely more talk, since the roll out of the initiative to include boys is now, at least, three years late.”
According to Ramsammy, his government [PPP/C] sought to invest in an HPV campaign in light of global evidence which suggests that HPV is a common virus that infects both men and women.
Studies show that HPV is so common that eight out of 10 people will get an HPV infection at some point in their lifetime.
“HPV infections can cause cervical cancers in women, cancers of the back, of the throat, known as oropharyngeal cancer, cancer in the anus, in both women and men, and penis in men. Cancers of the back of the throat have now surpassed cervical cancer as the most common type of cancer caused by HPV,” a concerned Dr. Ramsammy has noted.
In fact, he shared that unlike cervical cancer in women, there are no recommended screening tests for the other types of cancers that HPV causes and so they may not be found until they cause health problems. The HPV Vaccine Initiative, moreover, was more than an Initiative to stop cervical cancer.
The HPV vaccine is intended to help safeguard persons from cancer
“While best known as a critical strategy in the fight against cervical cancer, HPV vaccines are now seen as a potent tool in the fight against several cancers. This is why, we must spare no effort to ensure universal access to HPV vaccines for our children and other vulnerable groups,” Dr. Ramsammy theorised.
As she spoke of the expanded vaccination campaign earlier this week, Minister Lawrence noted that while the primary aim was to reach as many girls as possible, even in the hinterland, the Ministry will also focus attention on boys as well.
“Let us remember that cancer is rampant in our country and we have to intensify our efforts to sensitize, educate and protect the young assets of our country,” the Public Health Minister stressed. In this regard, she announced that as of Monday last [February 11], the HPV vaccination campaign has been expanded to include boys in all regions of the country.
Added to this, she said that the Ministry has also introduced the “opt-out” policy for parents who do not want their children receiving the HPV vaccine since according to her, “We will not force any child to take the vaccine.”
According to the Ministry, the nationwide, expanded HPV campaign will be from February 11, 2019 to March 13, 2019. This vaccine, it was noted, can be obtained at the schools, from health care workers, health centres, private hospitals and the Vaccination Centre of the Public Health Ministry at Brickdam, Georgetown.
For those desirous of having additional information on this issue, they can do so by contacting the Maternal and Child Health Department of the Ministry on telephone number: 223-7429 or visit officials at 201 Camp and Charlotte Streets, Georgetown [at the old Citizens Bank building].
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