Sierra Leone Introduced HPV Vaccine to protect Women from Cervical Cancer

In a move to protect adolescent females from cervical cancer, the Government of Sierra Leone today launched a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, intending to immunize 153,991 ten-year-old girls.

Sierra Leone joins the group of regional pacesetters introducing the HPV vaccine into routine immunization programs as a critical strategy to prevent mortality and morbidity due to cervical cancer.

More than 55% of the 194 WHO Member States have introduced HPV vaccination.

“The Government of Sierra Leone wholeheartedly welcomes the introduction of the HPV vaccination drive and urges all to support girls ten years of age to be vaccinated and thus preventing them from cervical cancer and its consequences during their entire lives,” said Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation, in a press release issued on October 3, 2022.

According to the Sierra Leone Cancer registry, cervical cancer is the second most common and number one killer of all cancers among women aged between 14 and 44.

And in 2021, approximately 504 new cases of this deadly cancer were diagnosed.

“We are in the era where no one should suffer or die from diseases that are preventable with the use of vaccines. And, as we make these lifesaving services accessible to safeguard the health of women and girls, we are also contributing to empowering the individual, the community, as well as enhancing the sustainable social and economic development of the nation”, says Dr. Steven Velabo Shongwe, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

“We urge authorities and parents to ensure that their girls are protected against the distress of cervical cancer by protecting them against HPV at an early age.”

Additional HPV vaccination news is posted at PrecicionVaccinations.com/HPV.