The Ministry of Health has signalled that an immunisation programme to prevent the human papillomavirus (HPV) from affecting students in secondary schools, conceptualised in 2013, is still on the government’s public health agenda.
According to Minister of Health Molwyn Joseph, the public can expect the announcement of a new date for the initiative.
“The ministry is perusing it. I think we’re very close to announcing the date when that programme will start. You can be assured that it’s a programme that will be continued. When I say continued, it will be initiated and continued. It
hasn’t actually started as yet,” Joseph said.
The human papillomavirus is most noted for being the cause of cervical cancer in over 95 per cent of cases. It can also cause penile and anal cancer. The virus is present in over 80 per cent of people over the age of 50 and can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and through intercourse.
There are over 140 types of HPV, and 40 of those types affect humans in the genital region. Ninety per cent of cases of infections heal within two years, but persistent infection of over 10 to 30 years, in women, can lead to the development of cervical cancer cells.
The upcoming immunisation programme will be subsidised by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), according to the minister. (The Daily Observer)
