Koforidua: The Eastern Regional Health Directorate, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and development partners, has launched a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign aimed at immunizing girls across all 33 districts of the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the campaign is scheduled to take place from October 8-12, 2025, targeting 202,000 eligible girls aged 9 to 14 years. The campaign was inaugurated in Koforidua under the theme 'United Against Cervical Cancer,' and was attended by various stakeholders, including traditional leaders, media representatives, parents, staff from the Food and Drugs Authority, teachers, and students.
In his address, Dr. Damien Punguyire, the Eastern Regional Director of Health, described the HPV vaccination rollout as a crucial step towards eliminating cervical cancer. He explained that HPV, a sexually transmitted infection, is responsible for cervical cancer. Statistics in Ghana show cervical cancer as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, following breast cancer. Dr. Punguyire highlighted that cervical cancer affects women's sexual and reproductive health rights and emphasized that it is preventable through early screening and treatment.
He also noted that the HPV vaccine provides strong and lasting protection against the virus types responsible for most cervical cancer cases. 'Until recently, the vaccine was available in Ghana only to those who could afford it, but health should never be a privilege, it is a basic human right,' Dr. Punguyire stated. He added that the Government of Ghana, with support from health development partners, is now offering the HPV vaccine free of charge to eligible Ghanaian girls.
Dr. Punguyire outlined three key delivery strategies for the immunization exercise: the school-based approach, health facility-based approach, and community-based approach. He urged all stakeholders to spread accurate information about the vaccine's safety and encourage young girls to get vaccinated.
A speech read on behalf of the Eastern Regional Director of Education by Mr. Godfried Caesar, the Eastern Regional Coordinator for the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), emphasized the connection between health and learning. 'Quality education cannot be achieved if learners are not in good health, so the Education Directorate recognizes that good health is a foundation for effective learning,' he said. Mr. Caesar noted that the Ghana Education Service at national, regional, and district levels is collaborating with the Ghana Health Service to ensure eligible girls are reached through schools and communities. He also mentioned that leadership from the Ghana National Council of Private Schools and the Ghana National Association of Private Schools had been engaged and sensitized, and information about the vaccination exercise had been disseminated to their member schools.
