The vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that protects against uterine cancer, will be given to all girls between the ages of 9 and 10, as part of a health program coordinated by the ministries of Public Health and Education. The target population for the vaccine is estimated to be around 190,000 girls.
The vaccines will be applied from 22-29 April 2017, to coincide with the World Immunization Week sponsored by the World Health Organization (24-30 April 2017).
In the Dominican Republic, there are approximately 1,600 cases of cervical cancer per year and up to 500 women have died from this disease.
Doctors Mercedes Rodriguez and José Manuel Puello, of the Ministry of Public Health’s Collective Health division and Cristina Rodríguez, from the Ministry of Education are coordinating the effort. The Ministry of Education has invested RD$100 million for the first dose of the vaccine.
The vaccine will be given to the children at public schools and private schools, following parental approval. Thereafter, the vaccine will be available as part of the national vaccination program for nine year-old girls.
The Ministry of Public Health provides 14 free vaccinations to children in the Dominican Republic under the Extended Program for Immunizations (PAI) directed by Doctor Zacarías Garib.
Genital HPV is a very common sexually transmitted disease or infection (STD or STI) worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 290 million women were infected with HPV in 2013. HPV infection is responsible for almost half a million cases of cervical cancer each year, over 90 percent of which occur in the developing world.
Read more:
Listin Diario
World Health Organization
The Well Project
22 March 2017
