12/04/2022
Cervical cancer is a disease of inequity of access, often referred to as the "silent killer" and almost entirely preventable. The new WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommendation is concerned about the slow introduction of the HPV vaccine into immunization programs and overall low population coverage, particularly in poorer countries.
SAGE recommends updating dose schedules for HPV as follows:
• one or two-dose schedule for the primary target of girls aged 9-14
• one or two-dose schedule for young women aged 15-20
• Two doses with a 6-month interval for women older than 21.
The problem we have in South Africa is access to the vaccine. I know of 2 parents who have tried to get their 9-year-old daughters the vaccine and all clinics are telling them the same story. That is that there are no vaccines available and try again in 6 months.
If we have a cure for the silent killer, this should be a priority in Africa to have this disease eliminated. But elimination is a technical public health term and does not mean eradication. It simply means getting case numbers down very low and keeping them there.
So please, if you have children please consider taking them for the HPV vaccine. Due to COVID-19, many have forgotten about cervical cancer. Unfortunately, this means that rather than reflecting and celebrating a welcome reduction in cancer, we are finding a backlog of missed early cancers that will need to be addressed as the pandemic wanes.
https://tinyurl.com/5xcbmpz2
In developing countries, limited access to effective screening means that the disease is often not identified until it is further advanced and symptoms develop. In addition, prospects for treatment of such late-stage disease may be poor, resulting in a higher rate of death from cervical cancer in th...
