Cervical cancer vaccination is becoming part of the routine vaccination in Ghana

According to the Global Cancer Observatory, cervical cancer was the third highest cancer rate in 2020

Vaccination against cervical cancer (human papillomavirus HPV) should be mainstreamed into routine immunization programs in Ghana, making it accessible to all women and girls of the appropriate age.

Dr. Naziru Tanko Mohammed, Deputy Program Manager of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), in a presentation at a media briefing on the vaccine rollout in Ghana, said plans are in the works to roll it out by the end of the year.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women aged 15 to 44 and has a high prevalence in Ghana. Reports indicate that more than 57 percent of Ghanaian women who attended Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital had cervical cancer.

According to the Global Cancer Observatory, cervical cancer had the third highest number of cancer cases in 2020, and recorded the second highest number of new cases after breast cancer in Ghana.

The cost of a single dose of cervical cancer vaccination ranged from Gh250 to Gh500 in public. hospitals and between Gh1,000 and Gh1,500 in private hospitals, delaying the coverage of vaccination against the disease.

He said vaccinations worldwide have proven to be one of the surest and safest ways to prevent complications and fatalities from many diseases, citing the successes in routine childhood vaccinations in Ghana.

“Vaccines are not theories; they actually work to prevent many diseases and deaths and have been instrumental in eliminating most childhood diseases in children under five years of age. That is why we must take all vaccinations seriously to improve our health.” Journey.

Dr. Mohammed gave a presentation on Ghana’s comprehensive vaccination program: “The Journey So far” during a two-day training workshop for journalists on vaccine acceptance in Ghana.

Organized by Africa Media and Malaria Research (AMMREN) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS), it aimed to improve journalists’ understanding of vaccines and how they work.

Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of AMMREN, noted that vaccines have saved many lives, but myths, misinformation and misinformation create barriers for the public to fully accept vaccinations. vaccine uptake in Ghana.”

She said the workshop participants were carefully selected from all sixteen regions in Ghana to deliver informed and evidence-based education to the public using their varied mediums to demystify vaccines and improve immunization coverage.

Dr. Binka said that vaccines have proven to be a way to prevent many diseases and deaths, mentioning the COVID-19 vaccines and the malaria vaccines that had saved many lives, and charged the journalists to set the agenda for vaccinations and immunizations to to inform the public.

“Take charge of this campaign because people take what the media says seriously and as gospel truth,” she added.