KUALA LUMPUR – Girls aged 13 and 14 years who have yet to be given the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer will be vaccinated through the school health service next year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Health Minister II Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the vaccination will be carried out after the vaccine supply is procured in 2022, as HPV vaccines could not be administered in 2020 and this year due to constraints caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Health Ministry (MoH) is now implementing the requisition for tender for the supply of HPV (vaccine) injection. The requisition is still at the evaluation stage,” he added.
He was replying to a question from Nurul Izzah Anwar (Permatang Pauh-PH) who asked about the government’s commitment to ensure that all students aged 13 and 14, who had missed out on HPV vaccine doses during lockdowns, would be given the vaccine soon.
To a supplementary question from Nurul Izzah on whether the government is prepared to give the HPV vaccine to boys aged 13 and 14, he said the government has yet to implement a policy to vaccinate male adolescents.
Aaron also said for cervical cancer screening using the HPV DNA, MoH is targeting all local women aged between 30 and 65 who have had sexual relations, and have not undergone HPV tests or pap smear tests for a period of more than three years for screening at health clinics. – Bernama, November 1, 2021
