L-R: Pacifica Onyancha Dir, Ag Medical services (Department of Medical Services and Preventive and Promotive Services), Benda Kithaka, Chairperson Women for Cancer, Millicent Kagonga, Cervical cancer champion, and Health CS Sicily Kariuki/CFM – SAMUEL WANJOHI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 – The increasing cases of cervical cancer which is linked to at least 3,000 deaths annually in Kenya will soon be a thing of the past with the introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine.
The launch of the HPV vaccine on Friday will see some 800,000 girls aged 10 inoculated, the Ministry of Health has indicated.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, the Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki stated that the vaccine will be offered throughout the country alongside routine vaccination programs in all public health facilities free of charge.
“Vaccines are a life saver, protecting children and adults from diseases as well as lifelong disabilities and in extreme cases death,” noted the CS.
For maximum protection, all 10-year-old girls must receive two doses of the vaccine, six months apart.
In Kenya, cancer is now the third leading cause of deaths after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.
Cancer of the cervix, which forms the lower part of the uterus, is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Kenya, killing at least 9 women daily.
“Overall, the country reports more that 5,250 new cases of cervical cancer every year. The economic consequences of these cancers are even more staggering. The impact through increased medical costs, lost income, lifestyle changes impoverishes families, not to mention the physical and emotional burden.”
Millicent Kagonga, a cervical cancer survivor, could not hide her joy following the announcement of soon to be launched HPV vaccine.
Her story echoing the painful ordeal those suffering from cervical cancer have gone through.
“I am a mother of three children; I got my firstborn at the age of 14 years, the second at 16 and my last at the age of twenty. In 2010, sadly my second child died, my marriage failed, and it is this year that I noticed the discharge.”
Due to the fateful chain of events that had happened that year, Millicent did not seek medical attention and wallowed in her sorrow. She lives in Kariobangi a low-income slum dwelling located in the northeastern outskirts of Nairobi; hence the reason as to why she could not share with anyone what she was going through in fear of being stigmatized.
“One day I stumbled upon a program on TV and the discussion was on cervical cancer and that it is treatable. I took action from then and started the treatment, though painful but worth it,” noted the jubilant Millicent.
On the HPV vaccine waiting to be launched, Millicent noted that from her ordeal, she will ensure that the daughter is inoculated against the HPV virus.
WHO’s representative for Africa Regional New Vaccines Phionah Atuhebwe congratulated Kenya for the milestone made to finally introduce the HPV vaccine assuring that it has been proven to be safe and effective in the fight against the virus.
“HPV vaccine has demonstrated protection against the high-risk cancer cervical causing types and cross protection against other types not included in the vaccine formulation leading to reduction in high grade cervical abnormalities and cancer.”
UNICEF’s chief of Health in Kenya Yaron Wolman too noted, “The HPV vaccine is nearly 100% effective in the prevention of HPV infection from the sub-types most commonly responsible for the development of cervical cancer.”
The HPV vaccine will be given in the form of an injection in the muscle of the upper arm (right or left arm).
“Like all other vaccines used in Kenya, the HPV vaccine has been approved by the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board,” the CS assured.
Research has shown that HPV vaccine does not cause fertility problems in girls. In fact, HPV vaccination protects one’s ability to have children in the future.
According to the WHO, the HPV vaccine is a safe way to help protect a young girl’s health and her ability to have healthy babies in the future. The vaccine has no effect on a girls’ menstrual cycles. The vaccine additionally has no effect on a girl’s virginity and does not promote promiscuity.
Studies show that HPV vaccine is safe to administer to girls who are living with HIV; however, they should receive three doses of the HPV vaccine for maximum protection.
The people not eligible for the HPV include those with yeast allergies, pregnant girls, and people with bleeding disorders: they should talk to their doctor before having any vaccines, people with previous anaphylaxis (serious allergy) to a previous dose of the vaccine or any of the vaccine ingredients.
CS Kariuki noted that the HPV vaccine will be introduced in the Routine Immunization schedules of the year 2019 at a cost of Sh800 million.
She further noted that the country has in place more than 1.3 million doses of HPV vaccine against a target of 800,000 girls.
Kenya becomes the 16th country to introduce the HPV vaccine in Africa and 97th globally.
Uganda was the first country in Africa to rollout out the vaccine in 2008, followed by Rwanda in 2011 and Tanzania in 2018.
About The Author
