Sint Maarten. HPV Vaccine Information Session for parents of 9-10-year olds

Parents with girls aged nine and 10-years are invited by the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, Youth Health Care, to an information session about the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, on Tuesday, December 3.

Parents with girls in the aforementioned age range attending the following primary school should attend: Hillside Christian School, St. Dominic Primary, Prins Willem Alexander, Ruby Labega, Sister Magda, Learning Unlimited, ACE, and Victory Christian Academy.

The information session is being held at the St. Dominic’s High School in South Reward from 7.15pm to 8.15pm.

Youth Health Care falls under the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) and is responsible for the National Vaccination Program.  The program is designed to prevent the country’s children and population from vaccine preventable diseases.

In September the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour introduced the HPV vaccine.

HPV causes cervical cancer which is the second most common cancer in women worldwide.  In 2008, there were an estimated 529,000 new cases and 274,000 deaths due to cervical cancer.  HPV viruses are common throughout the world.

Although most infections with HPV cause no symptoms, persistent genital HPV infections can cause cervical cancer in women. Two HPV vaccines are now being marketed in many countries throughout the world.

Both vaccines are highly efficacious in preventing infection and are also highly efficacious in preventing pre-cancerous cervical lesions caused by the viruses.  The primary target group in most of the countries recommending HPV vaccination according to the World Health Organization (WHO) is young adolescent girls.

Data from clinical trials conducted in several continents show that the vaccines to be safe according to the WHO.

For additional information you can call Youth Health Care at: 543-2070 or 543-2071.