MSF concludes HPV Vaccination in Chikwawa
Medecins Sans Frontieres is optimistic that the Human papilloma virus vaccination exercise recently administered in Chikwawa, will help reduce cervical cancer cases in the district.
The remarks were made at the end of a three day HPV vaccination exercise that was carried out in Chikwawa.
Conducted by the MSF, the exercise targeted 48,000 girls between the age of 9-14 years old.
Camille Desforges who is MSF external activities manager for the cervical Cancer explained that the girls that have been immunised will also protect the whole community when they become sexually active.
Extended Program on Immunisation (EPI) coordinator for Chikwawa district, Ebenezer Lester Banda expressed satisfaction with the response from communities.
On her part, mother to a 14 year old girl who received the vaccine, Felista Laudoni has described the exercise as important as it will go a long way in protecting her girl child from cervical cancer.
“I therefore encourage parents to take the exercise seriously by ensuring that their children are immunized,” said Laudoni.
Concurring with Laudoni is Chrissy Austin, a mother to an 11 years old girl who argues that many women have died of the disease hence the need for the girls within the age range to be vaccinated.
Meanwhile the team, is today conducting a mop-up exercise aimed at reach out to those that missed out on the initial three day campaign.
According to Desforges, after today’s mop-up exercise they will be able to have the final figure of those that have received the vaccine.