The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary will this month roll out the national Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign targeting girls aged between 10 and 14 years.
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) has been shown to cause up to 90% of cancers of the cervix.
According to the latest council report, the programme is set to run from May 10 to 18 targeting mostly primary school going girls.
“The public health intervention was targeted at preventing cervical cancer amongst girls aged 10-14 years. The girls were to get two doses for Lifelong protection.
“The vaccine could be given at 6-15months intervals. In Zimbabwe, the interval between the two doses would be twelve months,” the report read in part.
The vaccination programme would be conducted in all public and private schools, health facilities and outreach points across the country.
While the vaccine can be administered to both girls and boys, due to limited resources only girls will be targeted.
Vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is in line with the country’s strategic health objective and the Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) strategic plan to reduce morbidity and mortality
