Hong Kong government urged to introduce cervical cancer vaccination programme for all girls
University of Hong Kong academic says school-based scheme targeted at girls before they become sexually active could cut HPV-related cancer cases by up to 90 per cent
Cervical cancer cases in Hong Kong may be cut by up to 90 per cent if the government launched a vaccination programme to protect all girls against a virus spread through sex, a top medical expert told the Post in Singapore.
The city faces a total of 200 deaths and 500 cases a year mainly caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but the rate of vaccination stands at just 10 per cent, in contrast to 70 per cent in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
University of Hong Kong professor Hextan Ngan Yuen-sheung also suggested on Monday extending the programme to all boys, as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
But there has been no progress in providing universal protection to girls in Hong Kong since 2013 when an expert panel advised the government to further review the feasibility of adding the HPV vaccine to its regular vaccination programme – a move already undertaken by about 50 countries, according to the World Health Organisation.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced in January a three-year pilot scheme funded by the Community Care Fund to offer free jabs to girls from low-income families. It will start in the fourth quarter.