Freetown – An age-old social perception that “what goes on below the material ought to stay below the material” is killing girls in Sierra Leone.
“Persons are dying in silence,” says Dr Desmond Maada Kangbai, the pinnacle of the nation’s immunization providers. He explains that almost all girls affected by cervical most cancers should not prepared to speak about their situation and even current themselves for screening and thus presumably get a prognosis early sufficient to vary the course of the illness and their life.
“What we do know is that cervical most cancers is the main reason for deaths brought on by most cancers and the second most typical most cancers amongst girls within the nation,” Dr Kangbai says.
However silence isn’t the one barrier to cervical most cancers care in Sierra Leone. There’s a large lack of public data and consciousness concerning the illness, its prevention and care. Screening websites and well being services offering most cancers care should not accessible in a lot of the nation.
“I didn’t find out about cervical most cancers till once I was just lately skilled to assist my college forward of the introduction of the HPV vaccine,”, says Fatmata Yegbeh Kargbo, a trainer within the northern Koinadugu District.
Breast most cancers accounts for the best burden of most cancers amongst girls aged 14–44 years in Sierra Leone. Cervical most cancers isn’t far behind. Yearly, greater than 500 new circumstances emerge within the nation, and an estimated 400 girls die due to it.
The precise burden and prevalence of the illness are based mostly on estimation because of the tight-lips tradition amongst affected girls in speaking about that a part of their physique affected by the most cancers, says Dr Kangbai. Care-seeking for the signs could be very low as it’s with the providers.
The Authorities has determined one of the best defence towards the silence is to go on the offensive with escalated consideration to prevention – and lengthy earlier than the illness has an opportunity to strike. On 3 October the nation launched the vaccine that’s sometimes given to women earlier than they attain puberty and that protects towards the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical most cancers.
Countering the boundaries to entry with prevention
“As a rustic, we wish to give attention to the first preventive measures of cervical most cancers as a result of we all know therapy could be very costly,” Dr Kangbai says.
The HPV vaccine is given to women at an early age to guard them earlier than they’re uncovered to the illness, which is transmitted by means of unprotected intercourse.
The vaccine introduction into the nation’s routine immunization system is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, with technical and operational help from World Well being Group (WHO) and UNICEF.
For the introduction, all ladies aged 10 years will obtain the primary dose of the vaccine, at roughly 154 000 ladies. In six months, they’ll obtain the second dose to make sure full safety.
Based on the nationwide well being authorities, the vaccine will probably be accessible to women aged 9–15 years from 2023 onwards. The aim is the elimination of the illness within the nation.
“We’re within the period the place nobody ought to undergo or die from ailments which might be preventable with the usage of vaccines”, says Dr Steven Velabo Shongwe, WHO Consultant in Sierra Leone. “And, as we make these lifesaving providers accessible to safeguard the well being of ladies and ladies, we’re additionally contributing to empowering the person, the group, in addition to enhancing the sustainable social and financial growth of the nation.”
Public schooling has been intensified to lift consciousness on the reason for the illness and providers which might be accessible together with the HPV vaccine now being launched, in addition to the restricted screening websites and the therapy choices for ladies affected by the illness.
Partnership between well being and schooling sectors to achieve all ladies
Sierra Leone’s well being authorities are collaborating carefully with their counterparts within the schooling sector through the use of college and community-based vaccination methods to introduce the HPV vaccine from 3 to 9 October. Greater than 1,400 groups of well being staff, group mobilizers, college authorities and academics have been skilled to facilitate profitable implementation of the vaccination, promote the significance of the vaccine, and to make sure all eligible ladies out and in of college are reached.
“We urge the authorities and fogeys to make sure that their ladies are protected towards the misery of cervical most cancers by defending them towards HPV at an early age,” Dr Shongwe implores.
With this introduction, Sierra Leone turns into the 122 WHO Member States globally as of March 2022, and the 18th nation in Africa to incorporate the HPV vaccine into its routine immunization system.