Senegal relies on awareness to boost HPV vaccination
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Soleil
Illustrative image · Denis Ngai · Pexels · Licence PexelsSenegal’s Ministry of Health and the Sénégal Solidaire foundation will step up their collaboration to improve uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, during a meeting with First Lady Absa Faye. She proposed integrating this vaccination into the 'Octobre Rose toute l’année' programme, according to Le Soleil.
Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene wants to strengthen its cooperation with the Sénégal Solidaire National Foundation to improve public uptake of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), a key tool for preventing cervical cancer. A delegation led by Dr Ndèye Magatte Ndome Ndiaye, the minister’s chief of staff, held talks with the foundation’s officials in the presence of the First Lady, Absa Faye, the organisation’s ambassador, according to the daily Le Soleil.
The talks focused on obstacles to vaccination and the need to step up grassroots communication. The First Lady proposed integrating HPV vaccination into the 'Octobre Rose toute l’année' programme so that cervical cancer prevention is sustained over time, rather than limited to one-off campaigns, and to broaden mobilisation of those engaged against women’s cancers.
Awareness remains a major issue in Senegal, where voices called in October for better monitoring of breast and cervical cancers, as Oulimata Gueye had done.
