Ghana rolls out HPV vaccines for millions of girls

DW (English)

Ghana has launched a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign to protect 2.5 million girls from cervical cancer. But while health workers race to immunize, some parents remain unsure about the new program.

Transcript

00:00Commission to wipe out cervical cancer, a disease that is treatable if caught early,

00:04yet still claims 23 out of every 100,000 women in Africa each year.

00:10HPV vaccines can prevent up to 90% of cases. 50-year-old Fatih is battling stage 3 cervical

00:17cancer. Now, Ghana is aiming to vaccinate 2.5 million girls. Just 20 kilometers from Tamale,

00:36in northern Ghana, a government-led campaign backed by UNICEF is in full swing. Girls aged

00:429 to 14 are lining up to get the shot.

01:12But not everyone is convinced. Doctors insist the vaccine is safe and say Ghana is late to the game.

01:28It has been used over the years in so many countries. Ghana is one of the late countries to roll

01:35on to the vaccination program. It is highly effective and when given early, it reduces the

01:43chances of people acquiring the high-risk viruses. Alongside the vaccine rollout, the government is

01:50ramping up screening, especially for women who missed the vaccination window. Lydia Lamborn

01:56just completed her first cervical cancer screening. With both screening and vaccination, Ghana hopes

02:20to eliminate cervical cancer within the next century.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended