The Ministry of Public Health’s on-going campaign to vaccinate 9 and 10-year old girls against the Human papilloma virus is the talk of the town. The vaccination helps prevent girls from contracting cervical cancer, a major cause of death in the Dominican Republic. The vaccines that reportedly cost RD$10,000 each are being applied free to public school students and at Roman Catholic Church-ruled schools nationwide.
In the United States, the Center for Disease Control (CD) recommends 11 to 12 year olds get two shots of the HPV vaccine pro protect against cancers caused by HPV. The second dose is recommended 6-12 months after the first shot.
In Santo Domingo, the media publicized the case of one Catholic school, Consa, whose director spoke out against the vaccination. However, the Roman Catholic Church later contradicted the position of Consa and publicly supported the need for the vaccination.
Public health officials argue that if the vaccination is applied to nine year old girls and if a booster shot is given the next school year, these girls will be protected against the HPV cancers. Health experts say that the vaccine will reduce risk of cervical cancer by 70%.
In the Dominican Republic approximately 500-600 women die of cervical cancer each year, and the number of incidences of this type of cancer is increasing. Cervical cancer is reportedly the second highest cause of mortality in women in the country.
The campaign has a cost of RD$150 million and is funded by the Ministry of Education, with the Ministry of Public Health providing the staff for the implementation of the campaign. The campaign seeks to reach 190,000 students.
According to the CDC, HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active people get it at some point in their lives. There are many different types of HPV. Some types can cause health problems including genital warts and cancers. The vaccines can prevent these health problems from occurring.
The vaccination is critical in the Dominican Republic, given that this country has one of the highest incidences of early sexual activity in the region.
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Listin Diario
28 April 2017
