Angola has begun the largest Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in its history, aiming to immunise more than two million girls aged 9 to 12 in less than two weeks as the country accelerates efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.
Running from 27 October to 7 November, the national drive has deployed 1,667 vaccination teams across schools, clinics and community outreach points. The programme’s target is to reach at least 70% of eligible girls with a single-dose HPV vaccine, provided free of charge in line with the latest World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
“This is one of the most ambitious public health initiatives Angola has ever implemented,” said Health Minister Sílvia Lutucuta, who stressed that protecting girls early would drastically reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in the coming decades.
Cervical cancer is one of the country’s deadliest cancers affecting women, with WHO estimating more than 2,000 new cases each year, around half of which result in death due to late detection and limited access to treatment.
The HPV vaccine protects against the most common viral strains linked to cervical cancer. Angola’s campaign follows more than 16 years of planning in partnership with WHO, the Ministry of Health, civil society groups and global immunisation stakeholders.
The initiative aligns with WHO’s Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination — which sets three targets by 2030: vaccinating 90% of girls before age 15, screening 70% of women, and ensuring 90% of women with cervical disease receive treatment.
The official launch took place in Namibe province, where UN Acting Resident Coordinator Diego Zorrilla called the rollout “a historic moment for the protection of Angolan girls and the country’s future health.”
Angola’s First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, is serving as the national ambassador for the campaign, using her platform to drive public awareness and community acceptance, with WHO providing additional technical and behavioural support to maximise uptake.
Source:Africa Publicity
