PARENTS and caregivers are reminded of the second round of human papilloma vaccine (HPV) vaccination programme.
The first round was in March and targeted girls in Grade 4, who are nine years or older in all public schools.
This round also includes girls in special schools, where all girls who are nine, will be vaccinated. Grade 4 girls in private schools and girls who are not attending school are not targeted by the HPV vaccination programme. There will be no catch up for older girls; girls who are in grades higher than Grade 4 will not receive the vaccine.
The district will develop plans for reaching girls who are in Grade 4 but did not get the vaccine at school for any reason like being absent on the day the teams visited the school, and for those girls who only received one dose of HPV.
Parents of girls in private schools and of older girls (up to 20 years of age) who are not yet sexually active are encouraged to have them vaccinated by private service providers. Cancer of the cervix is the commonest cancer diagnosed in women in South Africa.
Estimates indicate that there are 16.84 million women over the age of 15 who are at risk of cervical cancer. Black women carry the heaviest burden of the disease. Studies on the cost-effectiveness of the HPV vaccines have shown that vaccination of young girls aged nine to 15 substantially reduces the incidence of cervical cancer.
The second round of the HPV campaign is between 29 September and 31 October. There will also be a tetanus and diptheria (Td) catch-up campaign running concurrently with the HPV campaign.
The Td campaign will run from 3 to 13 October and will target children who have turned six until the age of12. Children can go to their nearest facility with their Road to Health or immunisation cards.
