From this Friday, November 1, an HPV vaccine against cervical cancer will be available for 10-year-old girls in all health centers.
Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women. This malignant tumor characterized by an anarchic multiplication of cells in the cervix due to the presence of a virus called Human papilloma virus (HPV) takes the life of a woman almost every two minutes.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, cervical cancer killed more than 342,000 women, 90% of whom lived in low- and middle-income countries including Mali. These figures are all the more tragic as the majority of these deaths were caused by this common infection.
Likewise in Mali, according to data, more than 200 women suffer from cervical cancer each year.
After years of research and partnership, this dynamic is coming to fruition with the availability in Mali of a Human-papilloma-virus vaccine against cervical cancer from this Friday, November 1, 2024.
This vaccine, which is a revolution for our country, is already available in all health centers in Mali and within the reach of 10-year-old girls.
The vaccine is very safe and highly effective (97%) in stopping HPV-16 and HPV-18 strains, which cause 70% of cervical cancer cases. This vaccine also provides protection against HPV-6 and HPV-11 is almost 100% effective in preventing genital warts.
Ousmane Mahamane
