This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
Published on October 24, 2019, Nakuru County launched a campaign to vaccinate 43,000 girls aged 10 against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
According to Dr. Gichuki Kariuki, the county's Health Chief Administrative Secretary, the HPV vaccine is crucial in preventing cervical cancer, which affects millions of women worldwide.
Dr. Kariuki called on parents and school administrators to cooperate with health officials during the vaccination exercise, which aims to reach all eligible girls in the county.
However, the rollout has not been without controversy, with some religious leaders opposing the vaccine based on their beliefs.
Dr. Kariuki emphasized that health matters should not be compromised by anyone's religious beliefs, citing the devastating impact of cervical cancer on women's lives.
Nakuru County's Chief Officer for Public Health, Dr. Samuel King'ori, echoed Dr. Kariuki's sentiments, highlighting the global statistics of 14 million women affected by cervical cancer every year.
Dr. King'ori also announced that the second round of the vaccine will be administered in April 2020.
Despite the efforts of health officials, some challenges have been reported, including the difficulty in reaching all school girls before the third term closes.
Nakuru County's Chief Nursing Officer, Virginia Njenga, urged parents to take their 10-year-old girls to health facilities across the county where the vaccine will be administered.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had previously addressed the issue, telling religious leaders not to politicize the HPV vaccine rollout, emphasizing that cancer does not discriminate based on religion.
