Ho Municipal Health Directorate laments low HPV vaccine uptake, rolls out weekend immunization

The Ho Municipal Health Directorate has raised concerns over the low uptake of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the Municipality, with 2,486 eligible girls yet to receive the vaccine.

Health officials disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement in Ho, where they explained that although an intensified school-based exercise in May and June resulted in about 2,000 girls being vaccinated, uptake under the routine programme has since declined.

The Team Lead for the exercise, Madam Perfect Titiati, and the Municipal Health Director said the situation was partly due to girls who turn nine not being brought forward for vaccination.

They explained that the Municipality was expected to have vaccinated at least 12,000 girls by the time of the engagement but had reached approximately 9,000, leaving a backlog of 2,486 eligible girls.

Officials cautioned that the backlog remains dynamic because new girls turn nine every day. They therefore urged parents and guardians to ensure that eligible girls receive the vaccine as soon as they qualify instead of waiting for periodic mass campaigns.

To address the shortfall, the Ghana Health Service has introduced a periodic intensification approach under which health teams regularly visit schools to educate students and vaccinate eligible girls.

The Directorate stressed that the initiative forms part of an enhanced routine service and is not intended to be a one-off campaign.

Concerns over routine childhood immunisation

The Directorate also expressed concern over low coverage of vaccines administered during the second year of life.

These include malaria vaccines given at 6, 7, 9 and 18 months, as well as Measles-Rubella vaccines administered at 9 and 18 months.

Officials attributed part of the challenge to the schedules of working mothers, who may be unable to take their children to health facilities for immunisation during weekdays.

As part of efforts to address the problem, the Directorate announced a pilot weekend immunisation programme. Clinics are expected to operate this Saturday and Sunday, with another exercise scheduled for the following weekend.

The Directorate said the arrangement could be institutionalised if it proves effective in improving vaccine uptake.

Call for broader HPV vaccination
The stakeholder engagement also generated calls for boys to be included in HPV vaccination and screening programmes.

Participants argued that boys are also susceptible to HPV-related infections and can play a role in transmitting the virus, making a strategy focused exclusively on girls less comprehensive.

They called for a broader approach covering both sexes to reduce transmission and strengthen community protection.

The Directorate, however, explained that the current national policy prioritises 9-year-old girls because of the evidence guiding the country's cervical cancer prevention strategy.

Officials noted that once a girl is vaccinated, she remains protected even if she is subsequently exposed to HPV through a boy.

Stakeholders nevertheless urged the Directorate to intensify public education on HPV-related risks among boys to support possible future expansion of the vaccination programme.

Concern over cervical cancer
The Directorate highlighted the importance of HPV vaccination against the backdrop of the country's cervical cancer burden.

Health officials cited national cancer registry figures indicating that about 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer are recorded in Ghana annually.

They expressed concern that many women report for treatment at advanced stages because of inadequate screening and awareness, when available treatment options may be limited.

Stakeholders therefore called for stronger public education and improved access to information to address vaccine hesitancy and misconceptions.

They also appealed for well-prepared and disaggregated data specific to the Ho Municipality to support advocacy, planning and community engagement.

Data gaps hamper local planning
The Directorate acknowledged that better local data would improve planning and advocacy but explained that the absence of a dedicated cancer centre in the Municipality presents challenges in compiling accurate municipal-level figures.

According to officials, while some screening is conducted in Ho, most suspected cancer cases are referred to facilities outside the Municipality, making it difficult to establish a complete picture of the local disease burden.

The Directorate consequently called on stakeholders and the media to support public education efforts to ensure that every eligible girl receives the HPV vaccine and that children complete their routine immunisation schedules.