The immunization of children in schools against cervical cancer from September will save many lives and create greater awareness, experts have said.
They say if girls from 9-45 years of age are made aware and vaccination is ensured at the right time, it will be possible to eliminate cervical cancer completely within the next 100 years.
The government informed at the beginning of this year that 10 to 14-year-old children will be brought under the vaccination.
On Monday, students of some schools in the capital were officially informed by letter that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program has been taken up by the government. This vaccination will be given to children in classes 5-9 from September.
The health authorities, however, could not elaborate on whether all students aged 10 to 14 years will be included under this immunization program or will be covered in phases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 570,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, and more than 300,000 die.
After breast cancer, women in Bangladesh are most affected by cervical cancer. Every year, 8,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the country. Around 5,000 new and old patients with this cancer die every year.
Experts say cervical cancer can be easily eliminated through early detection and treatment through vaccination of adolescent girls and screening of adult women.
The Ministry of Health has been working for several years on strategies to determine what to do to deal with this situation. In February this year, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that the cervical cancer vaccination program for women will be started in September.
Vaccines against cervical cancer can be taken from the age of 10. Three doses of this vaccine are required. A second dose should be taken one month after the first dose and a third dose three months after that.
Shahana Huda, a parent of a student, expressed her excitement after learning about the vaccination program.
She said: "I am very happy after receiving this directive, thinking that the very important issue of girls has come to the attention of the government. I will definitely give this injection to my granddaughter. Because when my daughter grew up, we were not so conscious. And did not get such an opportunity from school. As a result, he is old now.
“I heard that this immune system works more in the case of teenagers. Many women in our country are now suffering from uterine cancer. And the vast majority of sufferers are under-treated, or even undiagnosed. So if the girls get this opportunity free of charge at the school level, it is a very big opportunity.”
Another parent, who did not want to be named, expressed concern, saying: "I don't know how correct it is to give these vaccinations to baby girls. If we are given a little more detailed information it will be easier for us to make a decision. He also said that the side effects of this should also be publicized.”
Mentioning that the parents should not be afraid of this vaccine, Associate Professor Bilkis Begum Chowdhury of Kumudini Medical College said that it is a very good initiative. Child marriage is considered to be a major cause of this cancer. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for this disease.
“If the vaccine is given before sexual intercourse, the risk of infection is less. Hence, the decision to give it to school-going children will give very good results,” she added.
The minister will announce the overall plan of where and how the vaccines will be given, said Program Manager of the Expanded Immunization Program (EPI) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Abdullah Al Murad.