12yr-old calls on girls to get cervical cancer jab

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By MARTHA DERUAGE
A twelve-year-old girl has encouraged young girls to get the vaccination for human papilloma virus (HPV) in order to avoid cervical cancer.
Susan Winger, a grade 6 student at Coronation Primary School, said she had received the vaccination last year to protect herself from getting the cancer in the future.
“I want to encourage young girls around Papua New Guinea to get the vaccination,” she said. “It will help you to avoid the deady disease called cervical cancer.”
Winger said she got her injection last year when the vaccination team went to schools around Port Moresby vaccinating girls between the ages of nine to 14.
She received the injection after understanding the importance of the HPV vaccination.
Another 12-year-old Jamilah Moses, of Enga and Chimbu, parentage, said she also got her HPV vaccination when the team visited Coronation Primary school
“I want to encourage girls between the ages of nine to 14 to go ahead and get vaccinated because it will help you avoid cancer,” she said.
Doctor Edward Waramin, national coordinator for HPV, said vaccines were available.
Waramin said a team visited 70 schools in Port Moresby last year and vaccinated girls from the ages of nine to 14.
He said they vaccinated about 15,000 girls last May.
“According to the World Health Organisation, there have to be two doses given to the girls, so the team made awareness again and gave the second dose in October,” Waramin said.
He said many parents did not allow their daughters to get a second vaccination due to misunderstanding.
Waramin said this year would be focused on awareness in other provinces on HPV.