The campaign “I am a mother, and for the well-being of my family, I am examining myself and vaccinating my 9-year-old daughter to protect us from cervical cancer”, is taking place on Friday, May 27, 2022. It takes place in Yagma, in Ouagadougou.
Jhpiego through the SUCCESS project has provided support to the Ministry of Health and Hygiene to promote primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer.
This campaign aims to detect precancerous lesions of the cervix in women aged 25-55 years. It also includes vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for cervical cancer in 9-year-old girls.
The age chosen for the vaccination campaign is 9 because according to the country director of Gebo in Burkina, Dr. Maturine Ponzi, the vaccine is effective in girls who are not sexually active.
“The girl is 9 years old because the vaccine is effective in girls who are not sexually active and this is an important factor. You also know that the vaccine was recently introduced and we have to make sure there is enough to cover all girls otherwise of course we can vaccinate older girls but the most important is girls who have not They enter after a period of sexual activity,” he explained.
- The goal is to reach at least 50 9-year-old girls and 200 women
The campaign aims to arouse the interest of women and men in the detection of precancerous lesions and vaccination against HPV; To improve men’s participation in cervical cancer prevention. It also aims to offer HPV vaccination to at least 50 9-year-old girls from Yagma B School and to offer at least 200 women for screening for precancerous lesions of the cervix in the Marcoussis community. and Yagma.
To hear from Dr. Gu Naima, Physician at Sigh-Nonghin Health District. These campaigns allow women to get excited about screening and at the same time detect more cases of cervical cancer.
During screening, when precancerous lesions are detected, women are referred to specialists for the treatment of the cancer itself. Pre-cancerous lesions care is free and Burkina Faso has everything needed to take care of women with this condition, said Dr. Go Naima, Physician at Sig Nungen Health District.
She also called on the women to come to be examined and vaccinate their daughter as well to prevent the disease.
- This campaign is concerned with women aged 25-55 as well as 9-year-old girls
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,130 new cases of cervical cancer were recorded in Burkina Faso, including more than 830 deaths.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Health officially launched the nationwide introduction of HPV vaccination on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Since April 26, 2022, HPV vaccination has been permanently available in health facilities and usual vaccination sites.
Hanifa Kassouba
Lefaso.net
