Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony announced the launch of the vaccine on Wednesday at the recently commissioned Diamond Regional Hospital on Wednesday. Guyana is the first Caribbean country to procure the HPV-9 vaccine.
Dr Anthony explained that the average cost of the vaccine in the United States is US$369 per dose, but the ministry was able to obtain it for just US$15 per dose, saving approximately US$17 million.
That’s because the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) negotiated a lower price for Guyana with Merck & Co, a global health care company focused on researching, developing, manufacturing, and marketing a wide range of medicines and vaccines.
“In the United States and many of the developed countries, the nine-valent vaccine is commonly available. In countries like ours, it is a problem of affordability because it is a very expensive vaccine,” the minister of health said.
Minister Anthony explained that a nine-valent vaccine protects against nine of the common HPV strains that cause cervical cancer and is 90 per cent effective.
The vaccine that was previously administered was the quadrivalent. The new and enhanced version of the vaccine offers more protection to patients.
Additionally, the HPV screening vouchers that the government introduced last year have been distributed to 12,000 women countrywide. Two thousand women tested positive with the HPV virus and treatments were administered.
“The good news is we have a vaccine and this disease is preventable… and the way we prevent it is to get people to take the vaccine,” Minister Anthony stated.
Two doses of the vaccine will be administered to young girls from ages nine to 15, while women between the ages of 16 to 45 will receive three doses.
Human Papillomavirus is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world and is responsible for a range of diseases including cervical, anal, vaginal and penile cancers. (Department of Public Information)
