Parents urged to allow eligible girls to take HPV vaccine
The Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult is raising concerns over parental resistance to Ghana's national HPV vaccination campaign. Officials warn that blocking access to the vaccine leaves adolescent girls vulnerable to cervical cancer.
Why it matters
Public health initiatives are facing significant hurdles due to misinformation or parental hesitancy, which could lead to higher rates of preventable cancer in the future.
The Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA CONSULT) on Monday raised concern over growing parental resistance to the ongoing national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exercise, warning that the trend threatens Ghana's fight against cervical cancer.
In a statement copied to Modern Ghana News in Accra and signed by Dr. Chris Kpodar, a member of the Board of Directors of CDA Consult, it said its field monitoring shows that some parents have instructed school authorities not to allow health teams to vaccinate their wards, despite the programme being rolled out nationwide.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in collaboration with development partners, has rolled out an impressive continuous HPV vaccination campaign targeting eligible girls.
As part of the strategy, trained health professionals are visiting schools and homes across the country to administer the vaccine free of charge to ensure maximum coverage and protection for adolescent girls.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in