The Ministry of Health has started a new programme that is aimed at preventing cervical cancer among women of reproductive age.
Cervical cancer is one of the main causes of death of women in Ghana. It affects the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. The disease is said to occur when the cells at the opening of the womb become abnormal and start to grow out of control.
At a press briefing at the Civil Servants Association Hall in Accra, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service said the disease is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that is sexually transmitted, and it is very important to vaccinate girls before their first sexual contact.
The Ministry of Health and GHS has decided to target girls in class four or five in both public and private schools in 13 districts in the Northern and Central Region.
'These regions were carefully selected at random,' the chairman, Dr. Denkyira stated in his speech.
The Ghana Health Service will begin the vaccination exercise on February 11 to 15this year.
Dr. Antwi Adjei, the programme manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), said the Ministry of Health will train some selected nurses to move from school-to-school vaccinating all eligible girls.
'The vaccine will be given in the form of an injection on the left upper arm. It is given in three doses over a period of six month and it is just effective if you get all three doses.'
The HPV vaccine, according to the GHS, is safe, effective and approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Ghana.
'It has been tested in many countries and the results show that it works. The side effects which can appear are quite mild but in some rare cases persons shouldn't receive the vaccine, for example anyone who is ill, pregnant or anyone with life threatening allergies'.
Dr. Antwi Adjei said the biggest problem of the project is the cost.
'One dose is about $130, so it has to be carefully planned,' he added.
He hinted that the ministry wants to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the country since the disease can be prevented. But it is important to educate and raise awareness of the HPV.
By: Leonie Stamm
Source: http://www.modernghana.com/news/442400/1/health-ministry-fights-cervical-cancer.html
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