TWO government ministries have announced a major initiative to combat cervical cancer in women and girls.
THE Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Training, said the initiative was aimed at vaccinating girls aged between 9-18 years against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
HPV which causes cervical cancer can be prevented and cured through vaccination.
Both Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane and his counterpart, Minister of Education and Training Prof Ntoi Rapapa, announced the vaccination drive at a media briefing at the health ministry auditorium yesterday.
Mr Mochoboroane noted that while the health ministry would be visiting all schools across the country, the education and training ministry would help with identifying unvaccinated girls in schools who are within the targeted age bracket.
Mr Mochoboroane said Lesotho was burdened with cancer. In 2022, 606 cases of cancer had been recorded in the country, of which 300 involved cervical cancer.
"As a country, we have to try and combat the cancer problem. It is only through prevention that we will be able to win the fight against cancer," Mr Mochoboroane said.
He said Lesotho's current estimates indicated that every year, an average 541 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 362 died from the disease.
The vaccination will be the second roll-out of the HPV vaccine. The first roll-out kicked off in May 2022 and concluded this month. Girls aged between nine and 14 years were given two doses of the vaccine.
Mr Mochoboroane said in the second roll-out, only one dose would be administered on girls aged between eight and 18 years.
"It is with a great sense of responsibility that we bring to your attention a significant initiative aimed at protecting our daughters from the threat of cervical cancer through scaling up and increasing the HPV vaccine coverage among our schoolgirls," Mr Mochoboroane said.
"In continuation of the recently concluded HPV vaccination campaign from December 2023 through January 2024, Lesotho is embarking on a school-based HPV vaccination along with door-to-door campaigns, for girls aged nine and 18 years, with a special extension of up to 24 years for girls who are immunocompromised or have weakened immune systems, beginning in the first week of February 2024," Mr Mochoboroane said.
He said the campaign would start in schools across the country, providing a convenient and accessible avenue for eligible girls to receive the HPV vaccine.
For his part, Prof Rapapa said he was committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in reducing incidences of cervical cancer in a safe and effective way. He said his ministry would continue to provide credible information on HPV vaccine by engaging all stakeholders and conducting public awareness and sensitization sessions.
"We are working to support the ministry of health's District Health Management Teams (DMHTs) by identifying un-vaccinated girls in schools who are between the ages of nine and 14 years, supporting DMHTs in preparing micro plans that include dates of vaccination and by conducting learning- related demand generation activities, such as essay writing on human papilloma virus and cervical cancer in Lesotho," Prof Rapapa said.
"I strongly encourage our female learners between the ages of nine and 14 years to be vaccinated against HPV. As we all know, prevention is better than cure, and vaccination has proven to be one of the most effective tools to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases."
Prof Rapapa said the health ministry had ensured that HPV vaccine was offered in schools as part of a comprehensive public health initiative, as schools provided a safe environment where children can be reached in their multitudes.
Also present at the press conference was World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Dr Richard Banda. He said his organisation recommended HPV vaccines for girls as a core strategy for the prevention of cervical cancer. He said it was important to note that outside the emotional and physical trauma that cervical cancer caused, there was a huge financial burden connected to treating the disease.
"Let me emphasize that we have a cost-effective and efficient way of preventing cervical cancer - the HPV vaccine. WHO recommends HPV vaccines for girls as a core strategy for prevention against cervical cancer," Dr Banda said.
He said the WHO Global Strategy for cervical cancer elimination by 2030 called on all countries to vaccinate 90 percent of all girls against HPV by age 15, stating that there was a huge urgency to address gaps in vaccination, screening, and cancer treatment.
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Dr Banda said the WHO was working to ensure that all women and girls benefited from life-saving interventions.
"No woman should lose her life because of cervical cancer. All women and girls must claim this right because they are essential to the country's development aspirations," Dr Banda said.
"I also would like to highlight that the HPV vaccines are safe. With more than 200 million doses given globally, no major side effects due to the vaccine have been reported.
"I must commend Lesotho for scaling up cancer screening through Pap Smear, Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and HPV testing."
He however noted the country still faced increasing misinformation and distraction from sources, which crowded the information space with confusing and conflicting messages about key health issues.
"This compounds the difficulties in building trust and establishing the facts on many health topics, particularly when it comes to vaccines. But I am convinced that our efforts today will lead to a Lesotho where no woman or girl dies of cervical cancer. All partners are committed to this," Dr Banda said.
