(LUSAKATIMES) 50,000 girls to be vaccinated with Human Papilloma Virus in 2013

50,000 girls to be vaccinated with Human Papilloma Virus in 2013
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, December 21, 2012, 6:41 am

A total of 50,000 young girls are expected to be vaccinated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) during the cervical cancer national pilot project.

Head of Cervical Cancer Training and Prevention Programme (CCTPP) in Zambia, Sharon Kapambwe, disclosed the development in a telephone interview with ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday

Dr. Kapambwe said the demonstration project, which will begin with Lusaka province in March next year, was aimed at reducing newcervical cancer infections in the country.

She said the project, which will target mainly school girls, will later be rolled out to all the other provinces of the country.
Dr. Kapambwe further explained that one of the major objectives of the pilot programme was to prevent new cervical cancer infections especially in young girls who are not yet sexually active.

The human papilloma virus vaccines are given to protect women against cervical cancer infections.

Government, through the Ministry of Health and in partnership with other stakeholders, has intensified the fight against breast and cervical cancer which are the most common cancers found in Zambian women and causes more deaths than any other cancer.

ZANIS