The government this month will launch a free countrywide vaccination against human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer.
The drive targets girls aged between nine and 14. HPV is sexually transmitted.
The vaccine will be administered through public health facilities.
The dates will be communicated soon, said Collins Tabu, head of the National Vaccines and Immunisation Programme.
It was postponed from May so that more vaccines can be manufactured.
“We have central storage and counties are responsible for distribution to the health facilities. So when you sometimes hear of vaccine shortage it is always due to logistical problems.”
The girls will be vaccinated twice, six months apart. Some 5,250 cases of cervical cancer are reported every year, 3,268 of them fatal.
Few Kenyans know about the vaccine and those who do know are held back by the high cost.
HPV vaccines are of various types.
Recombinant HPV vaccine, for instance, costs Sh14,742 for a single dose in private hospitals.
Cervarix costs Sh8,000 a dose, while its generic version is Sh3,000 a dose.
Cervical cancer is easily detectable and curable in the early stages.
Head of the National Cancer Control Programme Anne Ng’ang’a said earlier this year that it was regrettable that most women are diagnosed late when treatment options are limited and very costly.
“We want Kenyans to stop worrying about cervical cancer," she said.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)
