KHULNA, Oct 17: About 33,000 teenage girls will be vaccinated Human Papillomavirus (HPV) to prevent cervical cancer in the city.
They included 31,532 teenagers of school students and the remaining 955 are from out of schools.
A total of 11 teenagers became infected by cervical cancer out of one lakh girls in the country, and 4,971 teenagers die from the disease in a year.
The information was disclosed at an advocacy meeting here on Thursday, held in conference room of Khulna City Health Building in the city.
Khulna City Corporation (KCC) organised the advocacy meeting ahead of the HPV campaign.
HPV is the name of a very common group of viruses. They do not cause any problems in most people. But some types can cause genital warts or cancer. HPV affects the skin. There are more than 100 different types.
All the girls aged between 10 to14 will be brought under the vaccination. The 18-day long campaign will be held from October 24.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KCC Lasker Tazul Islam addressed the meeting as the chief guest with KCC Chief Health Officer Dr Swapon Kumar Halder in the chair.
Divisional Director of the Department of Health Services Dr Md Monzurul Murshid, Civil Surgeon Dr Shafiqul Islam, Deputy Chief Officer of Khulna Press Information Department (PID) M Javed Iqbal, KCC's Health Officer Dr Sharif Shamiul Islam, also spoke.
Medical Officer of World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Nazmur Rahman Sazeeb presented a keynote paper.
Speakers urged all concerned to make the forthcoming HPV vaccination campaign a success for a better future.
The government has been providing the vaccine free of cost, and the targeted people have been asked to register their names in www.vaxepi.gov.bd website to get the vaccine.
Dr Nazmur Rahman Sazeeb attributed that the HPV-related cancers like cervical cancer can be prevented through the vaccine.
He further said, HPV vaccination can act as the body's frontline defence, shielding it from HPV infection and other associated diseases and cancers.
As per studies, vaccination before HPV exposure, particularly the first sexual contact, can help provide a high protection rate of more than 90 per cent.
As a whole, HPV vaccination has been demonstrated to help reduce the risk of genital warts and certain HPV-related cancers by up to 80-90 per cent.
KCC's health officers, government officials, primary and secondary school teachers and NGO personnel attended the meeting.
