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Waikato DHB gets protective over its youth
Waikato DHB gets protective over its youth
Waikato
District Health Board is making it as easy as possible
for
young women to receive protection against potential
cervical cancer.
Not only has the DHB agreed to continue
the human papillomavirus (HPV)
immunisations for year
8-13 girls in primary and restricted composite
schools
for another year, but it has also facilitated catch-up
clinics
this school term for eligible girls who have not
had all three doses of
the vaccine.
The catch-up
clinics are currently taking place at schools, as well
as
in the community setting and are advertised on a new
billboard on the
corner of Tristram and London Sts in
Hamilton.
Girls aged 16 years and over, or parents of
girls aged under 16, can
ring or text 021 241 9442 for
more information about the clinics, find
out where they
are, and make appointments.
"It takes three," said HPV programme manager Marg Carey.
"These young women must have
all three doses of the vaccine to get
the protection
required to prevent cervical cancer in the future."
She
said Waikato DHB opted to offer the entire immunisation
programme
over one school year rather than two, to keep
disruption in schools to a
minimum.
"However, we have
been asked by the Ministry of Health to run
the
school-based programme for another year and for the
good of Waikato
girls, we have agreed to do that, and
will be back in high schools
offering HPV immunisations
in 2010."
The school-based HPV programme became an
addition to the National
Immunisation Register in January
2008 as a routine immunisation for year
eight girls.
More than 99 per cent of cervical cancer is linked to HPV
infection.
Every year in New Zealand, approximately 160
women are diagnosed with
cervical cancer and 60 die from
it.
Immunising girls and young women against the main
cause of cervical
cancer will reduce their chances of
getting cervical cancer.
"The overall purpose of the
programme is to reduce the incidence of
the HPV infection
and the development of cervical cancer / genital
warts,"
said Mrs Carey.
For more information about the HPV
immunisation programme,
visit
www.cervicalcancervaccine.org.nz and call or text
021 241 9442 to
find out more about the Waikato catch-up
clinics.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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