Cuba begins Human Papillomavirus vaccination in girls

More than 68,000 nine-year-old Cuban girls will receive an intramuscular dose of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the Granma newspaper reported.

This injectable vaccine will be incorporated into the national immunization schedule, the newspaper noted.

This population group will receive 0.5 milliliters (mL) intramuscularly, and two doses will be given to girls diagnosed with an immunodeficiency disease, for their protection against cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of death from this disease in women in many parts of the world.

The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) state that HPV vaccination is one of the measures that form part of the global initiative for the elimination of cervical cancer, along with early detection and access to treatment.

In Cuba, primary schools will provide space to house vaccination centers where the Cecolin injectable vaccine will be administered.

Cecolin protects against serotypes 16 and 18, the most common and responsible for approximately seven out of every ten cases of this type of cancer worldwide.

In the eastern provinces of the country that were impacted by Hurricane Melissa, vaccination will begin once conditions permit and classes resume, since schools—in this case—are the usual setting for immunization.