Parents urged to allow kids to take HPV vaccine

Parents are being encouraged to have children between the ages of nine and 14 vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), as the vaccine can protect them against several cancers and other diseases later in life.

Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr Marcia Graham, made the appeal while addressing the monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation recently.

“One dose can protect against future cervical cancer, genital warts, and even cancer of the genital area. So we want us to take care of our children and make sure we give them the opportunity to be protected against future cancer and other diseases,” she urged.

The HPV vaccine is recommended for children before they are exposed to the virus and is recognised as one of the most effective ways to prevent cervical cancer and several other HPV-related cancers. Graham also encouraged parents to use this year’s summer school medical examinations to ensure their children’s immunisations are up to date.

“Summer means [back to] school medicals. We congratulate all the students who graduated. Some are going from primary to high school, others are going from basic to primary school, and as we do the medicals, we are encouraging everyone to make sure that you bring in the child’s immunisation card, so that we can ensure that they are adequately protected against vaccine-preventable diseases,” she said.

Graham implored parents to make children’s health a priority during the summer break by attending the scheduled medical examinations and ensuring they receive all recommended vaccinations before returning to school.