Cultural beliefs crippling cervical cancer immunisation, leaders say

Prevention. Girls being immunised against cervical cancer at Wakiso Health Centre IV during the cancer awareness month last year. FILE PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Mr Jonas Walimbwa, another resident and an elder, says the reason why today’s children are sickly is a result of numerous vaccines they are injected with when they are still young.
  • However, the district health official dismisses the allegations, saying the studies conducted demonstrated that HPV vaccine is safe and effective in preventing cervical cancer.

Mbale. Leaders in Mbale have said cultural beliefs are affecting the implementation of government’s free cervical cancer immunisation initiative in the district.

According to the leaders, some parents are discouraging their daughters from getting immunised early enough, saying they might fail to bear children.
The vaccine for the cancer of the cervix was introduced in the country in 2015 by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the ministry of Education through a nationwide campaign to have all girls below the age of 10 years immunised against the disease in schools and health centres.

The effect
The district assistant health officer, Mr Ayub Madoi, says the programme is being bogged down by cultural beliefs and myths.
“People are negative about the government programme and there are myths that once one is immunised, they become infertile and cannot produce again,” he says.

He says 49 per cent of the girls that were immunised during the first round in October, 2016, did not turn up for the second vaccination.
Each girl is supposed to receive two doses, six month apart for maximum protection against the disease.
“The 49 per cent of the girls who received Human Papilloma Virus 1 (HPV) did not get the HPV2, after they were discouraged by either their parents or guardians,” he says.

According to the Ministry of Health, HPV national coverage status update 2018, in 2016, the HPV1 coverage stood at 83 per cent and HPV2 stood at 22 per cent and in 2017, the HPV1 and HPV2 stood at 85 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively.
Mr Madoi says another factor failing the programmes is limited funding from the central government.

Mr Madoi urged religious and local leaders to sensitise residents on the need to embrace immunisation, saying cancer of the cervix is the most common in the country.
“Cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer in women in Uganda, contributing to 80 per cent of cancers among women,” he said.

Mr Michael Mafabi, the district secretary for education and health, says it is useless when a girl gets the first vaccine and does not get the second one, adding that it is the responsibility of the community members to embrace and appreciate that vaccination is only intended for the good of their children.
Mr Robert Madabo, a resident of Makudui Village in Namanyonyi Sub-county, however, said they have been misinformed that the vaccine causes infertility in girls.

Mr Jonas Walimbwa, another resident and an elder, says the reason why today’s children are sickly is a result of numerous vaccines they are injected with when they are still young.
However, the district health official dismisses the allegations, saying the studies conducted demonstrated that HPV vaccine is safe and effective in preventing cervical cancer.

About cervical cancer

The cancer. Cervical cancer is a disease that affects women. It causes abnormal and uncontrolled growth of the cells of the cervix resulting into wounds and bleeding.
Signs and symptoms. According to the Mbale District assistant health officer, Mr Ayub Madoi, the signs and symptoms include pain during sexual intercourse, lower abdominal pain, bleeding during intercourse, intermenstrual bleeding, and heavy menstrual bleeding, among others.
Prevention. Mr Madoi says prevention measures include abstinence, using condom, immunisation, preventing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, early screening, among others.