With cervical cancer still the second most frequent malignancy in women, Guyana’s low acceptance rate of HPV vaccines has been a source of concern, according to Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony.
These vaccines are an important preventative measure against HPV infections and cervical pre-cancers, emphasizing the need for increased vaccine awareness and uptake on a local level.
Speaking during the launch of the national expansion of the HEARTS Initiative for the management of cardiovascular illnesses recently, Dr Anthony underlined that since the commencement of the initiative in Guyana, the number of persons who get vaccinated stays at a minimum.
“There isn’t a scarcity of resources… we have to start by getting more individuals to take HPV immunizations … How can we prevent cervical cancer if we don’t have a comprehensive program in place? This is something that, as far as I recall, Dr. Ramsaran initiated a long time ago. “We haven’t been able to scale it up to where it should be,” Dr Anthony explained.
Further, the health minister emphasised the critical need for medical professionals to reevaluate the implementation of the programme, recognising the pivotal role they play in bringing real change in the country.
“It’s not that we don’t have the tools to prevent, it’s that we’re not implementing the tools at the scale that we need to implement it, to make that impact, and to bring that change,” he stated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all HPV vaccines protect against at least HPV types 16 and 18, which are the most common causes of cervical cancer.
HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to a variety of health problems such as genital warts and cancer.
Meanwhile, the government continues to expand the vaccine campaign in order to limit the number of diseases and deaths. Last October, HPV vaccines were made available to women up to the age of 45. The move was a monumental step in the fight against the virus, as previously, only males and females between the ages of 9 and 15 were offered the vaccine.