HPV vaccination needs to be free in order to save lives - Occupational Health Consultant

Preventive and Occupational Health Management Consultant Ms. Jennifer Nelson has joined the campaign urging Ghana's government to fund the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in order to save the lives of women.

The prevalent sexually transmitted infection HPV, according to her, can affect the throat, genitalia, and skin.

According to the Preventive and Occupational Health Management Consultant, HPV is generally eliminated from the body by the immune system; however, chronic infection with high-risk HPV can lead to the development of aberrant cells that eventually become cancer.

This was said by Ms. Nelson at a strategic stakeholders' engagement conference that the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) organized in Tema over the weekend to talk about the "Cervical Cancer Prevention Change Paradigm Advocacy campaign."

The goal of the CDA Consult campaign is to persuade decision-makers to provide free HPV vaccinations and to increase screening, prevention, and treatment in order to end cervical cancer in Ghana.

In order to have the greatest possible impact, the CDA Consult Cervical Cancer Prevention Change Paradigm Advocacy campaign also aims to dispel common misconceptions about cervical cancer screening, vaccination, and treatment.

Ms. Nelson, who is also the CEO of the preventive health organization Lifeline Haven Limited, emphasized that approximately 95 percent of cervical cancers are caused by untreated persistent HPV infection of the cervix, or the lower part of the uterus or womb that opens into the vagina, also known as the birth canal.

She stated that although cancer usually develops in 15–20 years, it can happen in 5–10 years in women with compromised immune systems, such as those living with untreated HIV.

"The degree of oncogenicity of the HPV type, immune status, the existence of additional STDs, the number of births, early age at first pregnancy, use of hormonal contraceptives, and smoking are risk factors for cancer progression," Ms Nelson stated.

Ms. Nelson pointed out that increasing public knowledge and facilitating access to resources is essential for prevention and control throughout the life course.

She emphasized that the best defense against HPV infection, cervical cancer, and other diseases linked to HPV is vaccination between the ages of 9 and 14.

Cervical illness can be detected as early as 30 years old (25 years old in HIV-positive women), and treatment can avoid cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer can be cured at any age if early identification and rapid, high-quality therapy are received, according to Ms. Nelson.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) response measures were used by Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of CDA Consult, to bolster the argument for the urgency of a swift advocacy campaign to change the paradigm of cervical cancer prevention.

In particular, he reaffirmed to African nations their resolve to eradicate cervical cancer as a public health issue and to take action in accordance with the WHO Global Strategy, which characterizes elimination as bringing the yearly number of new cases down to 4 or fewer per 100,000 women.

The Executive Director of CDA Consult emphasized that to put all nations on the path to eliminating cervical cancer in the next several decades, the WHO has established three targets that must be met by 2030.

Ninety percent of girls should receive the HPV vaccine by the age of fifteen; seventy percent of women should be screened with a high-quality test by the ages of thirty and forty-five; and ninety percent of women who have cervical illness should receive treatment.

Mr. Ameyibor pointed out that the national campaign aims to combine proactive advocacy skills and strong communication networks to bring together health professionals, human rights advocates, gender activists, religious adherents, and communication practitioners to champion a new paradigm of advocacy and support,

He emphasized that increasing prevention, detection, and treatment efforts is a key component of the CDA Consult Change Paradigm Advocacy campaign for free HPV cancer vaccinations, which aims to eradicate cervical cancer in Ghana.

Dr. Chris Kpodar, a former UN Consultant for Africa and the Middle East, who chaired the strategic stakeholders' engagement session underlined the necessity for authorities to implement a national policy to vaccinate all young women against cervical cancer.

As a member of CDA Consult's board of directors, Dr. Kpodar emphasized that low- and middle-income nations had the highest incidence and fatality rates of cervical cancer.

According to him, there are significant disparities in this that are caused by social and economic factors, a lack of access to national HPV vaccination programs, and cervical screening and treatment facilities.

Dr. Kpodar who is also the Chairman and CEO of Solomon Investments Ghana Limited, pointed out that screening for pre-cancerous lesions and administering preventative vaccinations against HPV are efficient and reasonably priced methods of preventing cervical cancer.

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