The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will start vaccinations on Thursday to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) in all the divisions in Bangladesh except Dhaka.
Last year, more than 1.5 million girls in the Dhaka division received vaccination for HPV.
Girls aged 10-14 or studying in grades 5-9 will get free vaccinations upon registration on the citizen portal health service (vaxepi.gov.bd).
DGHS has aimed to vaccinate 6.2 million girls on the campaign.
A national advocacy meeting regarding the vaccination campaign was held at a hotel in Dhaka.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study, around 350,000 women lose their life to cervical cancer every year. Cervical cancer can be prevented by having a single dose of HPV Vaccine can prevent the cancer.
Dr Md Abdul Hakim, director general (DG) of the Directorate of Primate Education, noted that Bangladesh sees 8,300 new cases of cervical cancer every year. Among them, more than 4,900 women lose their lives.
Dr Ashrafi Ahmed, DG of NIPORT, emphasised the importance of getting vaccines for children in juvenile correction centres.
WHO to Bangladesh, said: “Cancer is catastrophic. It takes a big toll on family and society.” He remarked that the vaccination campaign requires a lot of coordinated effort. “We have to reach the highest coverage so that no girl is left behind,” said Nawal.
Deputy Representative of Unicef Bangladesh Emma Brigham thanked Gavi, the vaccine alliance, for providing the vaccines.
She said: “Young girls and women in Bangladesh have long been at the forefront of transformation in Bangladesh. Their voices, their health, their right must be protected.”
She also emphasised the fact that cancer is preventable.
She said: “It is also a sensitive subject. And often, it is not talked about. If we care about our young adolescent girls, young women, and the future of Bangladesh, we can not shy from this issue.”
Senior Secretary of the Health Service division, M A Akmall Hossain Azad, said: “To make the campaign successful, we all need to work together. We need to put in a collective effort to achieve great success.”