Gov’t to Roll Out Mass Vaccination of 10-Year-Old Kenyan Girls Against Cervical Cancer

The government has announced it will roll out mass vaccination against cervical cancer in two weeks.

The Ministry of Health is targeting to give two free doses of the vaccine against the cancer-causing Human Papillomavirus (HPV) to 10-year-old girls countrywide, according to Daily Nation.

The two vaccines, to be administered six months apart, will be given at 9,000 public, private and faith-based health facilities across the country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the vaccine against HPV must be given to girls between the ages of nine and 14 for it to be effective.

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer in Kenya, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

“It is unfortunate that we lose seven women to cancer every day. This is preventable through vaccination. 

"If you prevent HPV infection then you can prevent cervical cancer,” Head of Immunization at Health Ministry Dr. Collins Tabu said.

WHO Representative in Kenya Dr. Rudi Eggers said: “The HPV vaccine is an extraordinary vaccine. It is the most effective means of preventing cervical cancer and is very safe. I am also a father of girls and all of them have received the vaccine."

He added: "By vaccinating our girls against HPV we are preventing the disease for life. They will be able to grow, live up to their full potential and prosper.” 

The vaccination drive has, however, met opposition from Kenya Catholic Doctors Association (KCDA), who questioned the decision to administer the vaccine to 10-year-old girls.

“At 10 years, our children are not sexually active. They are not at risk of contracting HPV or other STDs. This applies also to other individuals who are not sexually active. It also includes those who are sexually active but are faithful to their partners,” KCDA chairperson Dr. Stephen Karanja said in a statement.