The Mayor's Office of Cali announced this Thursday, March 24, that it will welcome the invitation made by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the League Against Cancer, to hold a vaccination day against Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
According to the administration of the capital of Vallecaucana, this day, which will be held next Saturday, March 26, within the framework of the World Day for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer, is aimed at girls and adolescents aged 9 to 17 years.
The Ministry of Public Health of Cali welcomed the initiative and will accompany the immunization of minors, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at three points in the city: Parque La Horqueta; the headquarters of the Unicáncer Foundation and the Cañaveralejo Hospital.
This entity of the Mayor's Office of Cali also called on the 150 vaccinating IPS in the city to join this great day and continue to promote immunization during the days following it.
It should be remembered that the HPV vaccine is included in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in Colombia and is free for minors between 9 and 17 years of age.
It is a safe vaccine
According to clinical trials cited by the World Health Organization (WHO), this biological is very safe and effective in preventing virus infection, rapidly evolving precancerous lesions and invasive cancer.
Hector Espinosa, a pathologist at the Cali Ministry of Public Health, explained that “HPV is part of a family of more than 200 viruses that attack humans. Of those, there are about 12 or 14 that are oncogenic, that is, they can produce tumors and malignant tumors.”
The specialist adds that in our environment serotypes 16 and 18 are the most common. These occur in more than 90% of cervical tumors in women who have not had the cytology or did not receive the vaccine.
Once infected, a woman can live with the pathogen for 15 or 20 years without developing cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent and detect possible contagion early.
Cali sees low coverage in the HPV vaccine
According to the same municipal administration, due to the covid-19 pandemic, coverage of this vaccine, which is necessary to prevent cervical cancer, decreased in the city.
“People have not gone to vaccination centers and coverage has fallen, but it is very important that the same percentages that we had in 2013, when the highest vaccination rates were reached,” said Hector Espinosa.
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