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The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate has launched a school-based Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exercise to protect young girls from cervical cancer. The campaign, which began on October 8, 2025, aims to vaccinate girls aged 9 to 14 years in schools across the region.
Vaccination teams have started visiting schools, administering the vaccine to eligible girls amid health education and awareness sessions. The teams made their first stop at All Saints Anglican Primary and Junior High School and later moved to Kanda Estate 1 Basic School, continuing the school-based vaccination drive under the theme “Protect Your Girl Child Against Cervical Cancer.”
According to Dr. Robert Amesiya, Acting Regional Director of Health Services, the school outreach forms a critical part of the HPV vaccination strategy, designed to make immunisation accessible to all eligible girls in a safe and familiar environment. “We are taking the vaccine to where the girls are, their schools, to make access easier, safer, and more convenient,” he said.
The Directorate is working closely with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and community health teams to ensure that every girl within the target age group receives the vaccine. Dr. Amesiya emphasised that prevention through vaccination is more effective and affordable than treatment after infection. “This is a long-term public health investment in our girls. The HPV vaccine is safe and effective, and providing it free of charge is a significant step towards reducing the burden of cervical cancer in our communities.”
The campaign combines school outreach, house-to-house visits, market sensitisation, and health facility-based services to ensure comprehensive coverage across the Greater Accra Region. Health officials reminded the public that the HPV vaccine is safe, effective, and provided free of charge under Ghana’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
“We urge all parents to allow their daughters aged 9 to 14 years to be vaccinated. This is our best chance to eliminate cervical cancer in Ghana,” Dr. Amesiya stressed. The initiative aligns with the World Health Organization’s global call to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030.
Teachers at the visited schools commended the initiative, describing it as a timely and life-saving intervention. Many expressed appreciations for the health education and sensitization sessions conducted prior to the vaccination, which helped dispel myths and misconceptions about the vaccine’s safety.
epos MBN360 news
