2,700 students vaccinated against cervical cancer so far, more than 9 in 10 eligible opt in
As part of the national school-based vaccination programme, all Secondary 1 female students can receive the vaccine against HPV for free. So far, 2,700 girls have been vaccinated under the optional programme since April 1.
SINGAPORE — Some 2,700 female students from 25 secondary schools have received free vaccination against cervical cancer since the programme began this month.
Students from Pei Hwa Secondary School and Anglican High School were the latest to receive their Cervarix shots on Thursday (April 25), and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is aiming to vaccinate 18,000 girls from 139 secondary schools by September.
Pei Hwa Secondary student Chau Pei Xuan was one of 132 girls from her school vaccinated on Thursday.
“My friends and I also talked about the importance of the injection. We felt nervous but, at the same time, excited to get it, so that we won’t be scared for the future,” said Pei Xuan, 12.
The Cervarix vaccine protects against strains 16 and 18 of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which account for 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
HPV, which is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, is a common sexually transmitted infection and certain types can sometimes lead to cancer.
In Singapore, almost 200 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed yearly and around 70 people died of the disease each year from 2011 to 2015.
Pei Xuan’s father, delivery rider Zhou Zhi He, 48, said that the programme was “very convenient and helpful”.
Noting that cervical cancer is not uncommon, Mr Zhou said: “The vaccine’s very important, because it concerns my daughter’s health and future.”
He has two older daughters aged 18 and 19 and would encourage them to get vaccinated.
MAJORITY OF THOSE ELIGIBLE HAVE OPTED IN
The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in March that as part of the national school-based vaccination programme, the HPV vaccine would be offered to all girls attending Secondary 1 in national schools, as well as 13-year-old female Singapore citizens and permanent residents who attend private education institutions.
It will set aside S$2.5 million a year for the HPV vaccination programme.
The MOH will also offer a “catch-up” programme this year for current cohorts of female students in Secondary 2 to 5 to get vaccinated, at a one-time cost of S$10 million.
Some parents had mixed feelings in the wake of the ministry’s announcement, worrying that consenting to the vaccination would serve as a go-ahead for their daughters to engage in sexual activity earlier.
HPB said that more than nine in 10 eligible female students from the first 23 schools it visited have received their shots.
Less than 3 per cent of parents opted their daughters out of the programme. The remaining 7 per cent have not indicated their consent, and HPB will be following up with them.
Dr K Vijaya, director of the HPB’s Youth Preventive Service, said the main reason why parents opted out was that they preferred to take their daughters to general practitioners. A small portion had concerns over the vaccine’s side effects.
But these side effects are “mild”, Dr Vijaya noted. “Pain, swelling over the injection site, or redness — these side effects are common, but tend to resolve on their own.”
The vaccination team monitors the students after their injections, making sure they are fine before releasing them back to classes, added Dr Vijaya.
Consent forms and information letters about the programme are handed out to parents through their children in school. Registration can be completed either online or by submitting the physical forms in school.
If students who have opted for the vaccine are not in school on the day of HPB’s visit, they may call HPB to arrange an appointment at a designated vendor clinic to get the jab.
