GHS to vaccinate young girls against cervical cancer
In a bid to combat the prevalence of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer among women in Ghana, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has announced plans to initiate a vaccination campaign by the year’s end. Targeting pre-adolescent girls aged 9 to 14, this nationwide effort aims to immunize adolescents before they become sexually active, addressing the alarming rate of cervical cancer cases in the country.
Dr. Kwame Amponsah-Achiano, Programmes Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization at the Ghana Health Service, underscored the importance of administering the two-dose vaccine to each child. He stated, “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 initially, a three-dose regimen was administered during the pilot phase, the program now aims to streamline the process to two doses. However, Dr. Amponsah-Achiano noted that the possibility of administering one dose remains contingent upon the establishment of robust screening measures. He stated, “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.”
According to the ICO/IARC Information Centre on HPV and Cancer, Ghana faces significant risks associated with cervical cancer, with an estimated 10.6 million women aged 15 and older at risk of developing the disease. The statistics reveal that annually, 2797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, resulting in 1699 deaths. Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most frequent cancer among women in Ghana, particularly affecting those aged between 15 and 44 years. While data on HPV prevalence in Ghana’s general population is not yet available, Western Africa, the region to which Ghana belongs, exhibits approximately 4.3% prevalence of cervical HPV16/18 infection among women and attributes 55.6% of invasive cervical cancers to HPVs 16 or 18.
The impending vaccination drive signifies a critical step towards safeguarding the health and well-being of young girls in Ghana and underscores the nation’s commitment to combating cervical cancer through proactive healthcare initiatives.
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