The Minister of State for health Dr. Richard Nduhuura has revealed that the government of Uganda is set to roll out the universal distribution of the cervical cancer vaccine to 10 more districts.

cervical cancer

The vaccine that prevents the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer is distributed to young girls who are not yet sexually active.

This follows the successful pilot trials of distributing the vaccines in Naksongola and Ibanda districts in a project funded by Glaxo Smith Klein which donated 50, 000 doses of the vaccine in 2008.

Nduhura who was speaking during a regional conference on cervical cancer the Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo said the government has received funding to extend the vaccine distribution to 10 more districts over the next two years

Nduhuura said all adolescent girls aged 10-15 who need the vaccine should be helped to get it in order to curb the spread of cervical cancer, which he said accounts for 70% of the gynaecology hospital bed occupancy in Uganda.

Uganda is the first African country to carry out this mass vaccination against cervical cancer and nine African countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia and the host Uganda, are attending the conference.

Gardasil dose for HPI vaccine

During the conference, Dr. Kigula Mugambe, the head of the radiotherapy department revealed that the machine that offers radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients at Mulago Hospital has broken down, leaving hundreds of patients unable to access treatment. He said about 80 cancer patients everyday come for radiotherapy treatment at Mulago, the national referral hospital. The hospital needs about $5,000 to repair the only such machine in Uganda.

Weinformers Media