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Government pleads with parents: ‘Let us give your child HPV vaccination’

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Parents and guardians are being urged to sign consent for young schoolgirls to receive the HPV vaccination.
Parents and guardians are being urged to sign consent for young schoolgirls to receive the HPV vaccination.

The Gauteng Department of Health has appealed to parents, guardians and care givers to cooperate and sign consent for young schoolgirls to receive the HPV vaccination.

The second round of the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign is currently underway in Gauteng.

Free of charge

The vaccination drive, which aims to protect young girls from developing cervical cancer later in life, is conducted biannually. It is undertaken in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education in all public primary schools and public special schools as part of the Integrated School Health Programme.

The vaccine is offered free of charge to girls at government schools, but is given only to those children whose parents or guardians have signed consent. Authorities are therefore asking child carers to please make a special effort to make sure they give permission for their young girls to receive the vaccine.

The HPV second dose campaign, which began on August 22 and will conclude on 27 September 2017, will be administered to girls as follows:

  • Grade four girls aged nine years and above who received their first HPV dose during the first HPV round in February 2017 and March 2017.
  • Grade four girls who did not receive their first dose during the 2017 first HPV round due to being underage, absent or had no consent forms but have now received the necessary permission.
  • Grade four girls, class of 2016 who received their first HPV dose in August / September 2016 and are now in grade five this year and are due for second dose.

“The Department pleads with parents to give consent for their children to be vaccinated and it should be noted that no pupils will be immunised without having a signed consent form,” said Prince Hamnca, spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Health.

He explained that only one comprehensive signed Integrated School Health Programme consent form per child is necessary for girls to receive both the first and second rounds of HPV vaccine.

“The HPV vaccine is very safe and effective in preventing the 16 and 18 strains of the HPV virus,” said Hamnca. – Health-e News.

Image credit: iStock

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