This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On July 16, 2019, the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced plans to introduce cervical cancer vaccination for all girls in Kenya, sparking questions about the effectiveness of vaccinating younger women.
Dr. Ombeva Malande, a specialist paediatrician, sheds light on the importance of vaccinating girls against cervical cancer. According to the Kenya Cancer Registry, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer, with about 5,000 cases annually, resulting in around 3,000 deaths.
Unlike breast cancer, cervical cancer has an effective prevention through vaccination. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), also known as HPV, is the virus that causes cervical cancer and is sexually transmitted. HPV can be contracted after one exposure to an infected person, making it essential to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active.
HPV can lead to long-term consequences, including warts and cancer of the anus, throat, and genitalia in both males and females. There is no way to predict who among those infected will progress to cancer. Screening, such as the Pap smear, only detects already transformed cells on their way to becoming cancerous.
HPV vaccines have been found to prevent infection with HPV and associated warts and cancers in long-term follow-up studies from countries that introduced it into their schedules. The safety profile of the vaccine is good, and they are safe. Reports of fainting after vaccination are anxiety-related and can occur in older children and adolescents receiving other vaccinations or medical treatments.
The MoH will offer the Gardasil 4 vaccine to girls from 10 years of age, and women up to 45 years of age can benefit from the vaccine as well. Those above 14 years of age can purchase the vaccine from private facilities.
