Saving Lives Through The Cervical Cancer (HPV) Vaccination Programme

This would not be the first time Rotary has saved or improved lives. The near eradication of Polio, a delibilitating disease, was driven by Rotary International and Rotary clubs all over the world through it’s global vaccination programme. And Rotary is also close to beginning trails of a new malaria vaccination. If succesful, this will be of huge benefit to the people in Papua New Guinea where one in six people are infected and, on average, 600 die each year from malaria.

Now Boroko Rotary in Port Moresby, has initiated a vaccination programme for Cervical Cancer – a painful, “silent killer” in Papua new Guinea.

Where would the world be today without vaccinations? Two hundred years after the discovery of vaccine by the English physician Edward Jenner, immunisation has saved approximately 9 million lives “each” year worldwide. A further 16 million deaths a year could be prevented if effective vaccines were deployed against all potentially vaccine-preventable diseases.

So far only one disease, smallpox, has been eradicated by vaccines, saving approximately 5 million lives annually. Polio could be next. Over 80% of the world’s children are now being immunized against the polio virus, thanks to Rotary, and the annual number of cases has been cut from 400,000 in 1980 to 90,000 in the mid-1990s and far less today.

Measles is currently killing 1.1 million children a year, and is another possible candidate for eradication.

In total, vaccines have brought seven major human diseases under some degree of control – smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, yellow fever, whooping cough, polio, and measles.

The Boroko Rotary Club funded Cervical Cancer (HPV) vaccinations have now begun in PNG and the impact will certainly save lives for the girls now receiving the vaccination.

The first school to receive the vaccinations was Pari Primary School. This took place on Monday 1st May and was implemented by a well trained group of NCD Health workers headed by Dr Lutty Amos who were thoroughly professional in their work on the day. And since then, another 50 schools have already been visited.

The NDoH approved project has been 4 years in the making and required a huge input of funds from Boroko Rotary Club and their sister clubs overseas.

Rotary International then combined a Global Grant funding to the other clubs to give a total of K986,000 which is enough to vaccinate 28,000 girls in Port Moresby’s 3 electorates. Girls are between the ages of 9 to 14, in Grades 3-8, in both public and private primary schools.

The Prime Minister’s wife, Lynda Babao-O’Neill was there to assist the initial implementation of the this vital project. Mrs Babao-O’Neill initially spoke to all of the girls, and then encouraged, supported and nurtured the young girls before and during vaccination process. The Prime Minister’s wife then sat with the young girls as they received their first vaccinations. The girls receiving the vaccinations also received some food and drink afterwards so that the Health Care professionals could check that there was no pain or swelling after the vaccination, which is very rare.

The girls will need a second vaccination in November, so it was important to make them comfortable for this initial injection.

Mrs Babao-O’Neill was very proud that so many young girls will have themselves protected from a killer virus that they could encounter later in life, and hopes that all parents encourage their daughters to receive this vaccination.

Unfortunately 15,000 women die from Cervical Cancer in PNG each year. Dr Fa Pulotu mentioned that Cervical Cancer – the “silent killer” kills more women in PNG than any other cancer, and is also the second biggest killer of women in PNG.

These vaccinations are the only medicines that can actually prevent cervical cancer in women.

The HPV vaccination has been administered to more than 10 Million women worldwide over the last 10 years without any significant side effects.

Boroko Rotary Club, President Elect, Russell Jackson, said that it was a proud moment for the Boroko Rotary Club as they had struggled to raise the money through the last four years of Melbourne Cup events, and now the project was finally happening. Fellow Rotarians, Lionel Melville, Vaghi Gairowagga and Nick Raicevic were present to assist the NCD medical team and are looking forward to the vaccination of 28,000 young girls over the next 4 weeks.

Any of the girls that missed out should not panic. There will be a short follow up in a few weeks for any girls that were not present or who had not brought in their signed consent forms. We hope and pray that no schoolgirls in Port Moresby miss out on this great opportunity, since the vaccine is a life saver, and thanks to Boroko Rotary, parents and guardians do not have to pay the normally very high fee to have these vaccinations.

Anyone seeking advice or assistance should ring Nick Raicevic on 73965023.