Kericho County Department of Health has called for more uptake of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as only 77 percent of school-going girls in the region have been vaccinated.
According to County Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Logistician Dr. Alfred Langat, the county has targeted 63,323 girls between 10 and 14 years to be vaccinated with the first dose of the HPV vaccine and so far, 55,000 children have already received the dose.
In an interview with KNA at the Kericho County Referral Hospital, Dr. Langat appealed to parents and head teachers to ignore the misconceptions and myths about the HPV vaccine and take their teenage girls for vaccination against cervical cancer.
He stressed the need for the jab, saying cervical cancer was the second-most common cancer among women in Kenya.
“Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that is associated with HPV, a sexually transmitted infection and the patient experiences uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells that start at the cervix before spreading to the upper part of the uterus or womb. HPV is spread through sexual intimacy and is the main cause of cervical cancer in women. It is the second most common cancer among women in Kenya. 70 percent of cervical cancer is associated with HPV types 16 and 18. Cervical cancer is a hidden disease and a woman may not show the symptoms and progression of the disease can take up to 20 years from the time of infection,” stressed Dr. Langat.
The vaccine will be administered to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 years in two doses, six months apart, free of charge across all the 194 immunising facilities in the County, noted Dr. Langat.
“I urge parents to take their daughters to their nearest health facility to be vaccinated and complete the doses as scheduled. I also appeal to head teachers to team up with the nearest health facility so that the girl child is protected. In Kericho County, we are targeting girls between the ages of 10 to 14. The HPV vaccine offers 95 percent lifeline protection against cervical cancer before they are exposed to the virus,” added Dr. Langat.
The medic revealed that the County Health Department, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Kericho Children’s Department, TSC, Brighter Communities, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry of Interior, and the National Administration, as well as the County Government, held a five-day HPV immunisation exercise that commenced on July 24 this year in a bid to upscale efforts to have as many girls across the six sub-counties and 6,172 school-going girls were vaccinated with the HPV first dose against the targeted population of 8,000, while for the second dose, 3,353 girls were given the jab out of a total targeted population of 4,740.
“From July 24 to July 28, 2023, Kericho County Health Department with support from other partners, was able to carry out HPV dose one vaccination outreach programme across the six sub-counties with the aim of giving the jab to 8,000 school-going girls but we were able to give 6,172. Bureti sub-county led with 1,755, in second was Ainamoi with 1,541 girls, third was Belgut with 1,263, fourth was Londiani with 1,198, fifth was Soin/Sigowet with 1,134 and sixth was Kipkelion with 1,089. In the HPV second dose, Ainamoi led with 1,149, second place was Belgut with 1,094, third place was Bureti with 1,000, fourth place was Kipkelion with 869, fifth was Londiani with 420 and sixth place was Soin/Sigowet with 210 girls receiving their HPV second jab.” noted Dr. Langat.
The County medic dispelled misinformation that was being fed to members of the public about HPV vaccine as having no scientific backing, noting that the vaccine was safe and was intended to prevent teenage girls from developing cervical cancer later in their lives.
“The vaccine is targeting the Human Papillomavirus and we ought to protect our girls against cervical cancer and the burden that comes with cervical cancer. In Kericho, we still have 1,800 girls to reach for the HPV dose one vaccine. We have a long way to go and we want to reach these girls early. When one is at Stage 3 or Stage 4 of cervical cancer, they have a 10 percent survival rate and our target is to prolong life,” noted Dr. Langat.
Dr. Langat revealed that the HPV vaccination exercise in the County commenced in 2020 and is still ongoing in all the County health facilities.
In an interview with KNA, deputy head teacher Gertrudes Garden Primary School in Bureti sub-county within Kericho County, Mr. Vincent Langat, said the school had parental consent to have their 30 female pupils between the ages of 10 and 14 years who were learners in grades 4 to 6, receive their first dose of HPV vaccine.
By Sarah Njagi
