"HPV vaccination will be given to students in grades 5 and 6 of elementary school in two doses," acting Director of Immunization Management at the Ministry of Health, Prima Yosephine, stated virtually during the 2022 World Immunization Week seminar on Monday.
Yosephine remarked that the provision of the HPV vaccine took place simultaneously with the School Children's Immunization Month (BIAS) Program that is routinely held in August and November every year.
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HPV vaccination had started in two provinces and five districts and cities in Indonesia since 2021 and was expanded to three provinces and five districts and cities this year. The Health Ministry has targeted to administer this cervical cancer vaccination nationally during the 2023-2024 period.
In order to achieve this target, the ministry had facilitated training for HPV vaccination in stages from the health service to the community health center (Puskesmas) in each area.
"Training had started in Bali and Jakarta Province. We will develop it in other cities and districts as well," she remarked.
In addition to hard skills training as vaccinators, the participants were also edified on efforts to prevent hoaxes related to HPV, she revealed.
"People actually had good knowledge regarding this illness. However, there were still hoaxes spread around," she pointed out.
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One of the hoaxes related to the HPV vaccination is the side effect that can trigger infertility.
"We have provided guidelines regarding this hoax," Yosephine stated.
Earlier, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin remarked that HPV vaccination was an additional mandatory vaccine in Indonesia in the cancer prevention program.
"We will increase our mandatory vaccines, from 11 antigens to 14. We will add vaccines for HPV, PCV, and Rotavirus, especially since the cancer mortality is quite high among Indonesian women suffering from cervical and breast cancer," Sadikin noted at the America & Europe Indonesian Diaspora Health Meeting.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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