OVER 50 000 doses of  vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) will be given to 10 year old girls living and studying in the district of San Miguelito during the coming weeks

The announcement came Friday, July 7, from John Biebarach, Regional Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH) at the launch of the new HPV vaccine, in the  Nueve de Enero school.

 According Biebarach, the vaccine will help decrease the incidence of cervical cancer in the country, caused by HPV. It also resists cancers of the mouth, anus, penis and genital warts.

 From 2002 to 2010 the incidence of cervical cancer was 450-500 cases a year, and  in 2011 and 2013, it fell to 350 cases. 

Itzel Hewitt, director of the MoH Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) said that next year (2016) a campaign to vaccinate all   10 year old  girls will be implemented

She said that the vaccine is safe for children, however, it can register a slight fever, which is part of the adaptation of the body and emotional situation.