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Susan Nyabunze and Paidamoyo Chipunza
Government has successfully completed the first demonstration phase on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination, which took place in Marondera and Beitbridge between September 15 and 21 this year, a senior Government official has said. In an interview yesterday, director for epidemiological, disease prevention and control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Portia Manangazira said Government was now awaiting reports from the two districts on how the programme went.
“The districts are now compiling the report in conjunction with the school authorities,” said Dr Manangazira.
She said although Government was still awaiting reports from the participating districts, no severe side effects were reported.

“No severe side effects were reported immediately, but we will get a full report from both health workers and teachers when we get the statistics of vaccination coverage,” she said.
Dr Manangazira attributed the success of the programme to the combined efforts of various stakeholders who actively took part in planning and implementation.
“This is a programme that brings together Government ministries of Education and Health, partners and communities to support the girl child.
“The political leadership from both provinces have also given tremendous support,” said Dr Manangazira.

She said the second round of the vaccination was expected to start in mid-March 2015.
“We will enrol the second group during the same week that the first group gets their last dose,” said Dr Manangazira.
Under the pilot project, a total of 4 441 10-year-old girls from Beitbridge and Marondera will receive two doses in six months of the HPV vaccine in the first year and a further 4 950 in the second year.

The first doses were given to the girls between week 15 and 20 of last month while the last doses will be administered in March next year.
Should this project prove to be a success after the two-year pilot period, Government will roll out nationally in 2016.
While there are other factors that lead to cervical cancer among women, 70 percent of the cases are as a result of the HPV.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this vaccine prevents infection from two types of HPV (Type 16 and 18) that are known to account for 70 percent of cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in Zimbabwe accounting for 32,2 percent of cancers that affect women. About 1 300 women die every year due to cervical cancer.

About 3,96 million women over 15 years of age in Zimbabwe are at risk of developing cancer of the cervix, according to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry.
The higher number of women protected, the higher the chances of reducing cases of cervical cancer and the higher the chances of improving the lives of women and girls in the country.