Nairobi County First Lady Primrose Mbuvi Assures Nairobi residents that HPV vaccine is safe

By JPapanoo

The fight against cervical cancer will be won if all stakeholders in the health sector rally behind ongoing worldwide programs aimed at taming the deadly disease, Nairobi First Lady Primrose Mbuvi has said.

Primrose, who lead a mass vaccination program against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) at the Mama Lucy Hospital, said the disease will be defeated with requisite commitment to programs aimed at preventing it.

She affirmed her commitment towards advocacy, creation of awareness and mobilization of all 10-year-olds girls in the county to ensure they receive the two doses of the HPV vaccine.

“The vaccine shall be administered to the 10-year-old girls as an injection six months apart. It protects them from cervical cancer,” she said.

The vaccine is available free of charge in all public health facilities in the county and through outreach services in selected areas.

The first lady assured Nairobi residents that the vaccine is safe, approved and recommended by Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and other regulatory bodies.

She appealed to parents to ensure that all targeted girls receive the vaccine.

“It is my humble plea to parents, guardians and stakeholders to support this noble initiative,” she appealed.

Kenya officially launched its HPV vaccination program two weeks ago in the Coastal town of Mombasa and the programs will be done in all the counties.

In Kenya, cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among women aged between 15 and 44 years.

Current estimates indicate that every year, 5,250 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,286 succumb to it.

Approximately 10.3 million women aged 15 years and above in Kenya are at risk of getting cervical cancer hence the ongoing vaccination program.