Dr Selorm Kutsuati, the Acting Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an Interview on Monday that despite the significant success, it was not enough as nearly 300,000 girls within the target group were yet to receive the vaccine.
The vaccination campaign, which took place in October 2025 formed part of efforts to protect girls between age nine to 14 years against cervical cancer.
“Vaccinating 1.9 million girls is good. But for us, it is not good enough. Our policy is to reach every child. Even if it is just three girls left, we want to reach them,” she added.
Dr Kutsuati said following the mass campaign, the HPV vaccine had now been integrated into routine immunization services and was available at all public health facilities nationwide.
She acknowledged that despite the slow uptake often after campaigns, health workers were still actively seeking out those who missed earlier doses.
“After a campaign, routine immunization can be slow for a while. Most of the eager recipients have already been vaccinated, so the health system has to go out and actively look for the remaining girls,” she said.
Dr Kutsuati said to address the gap, the Ghana Health Service was intensifying school health outreach programmes, noting that the majority of eligible girls were enrolled in school.
“Districts have identified schools that were not reached during the October campaign and are prioritising them for visits this year,” she stated.
“The year has just begun, and we are strategizing on how best to reach the remaining girls. Our teams know the schools they could not reach earlier, and those schools will be prioritised.”
She noted that parental resistance, fueled largely by misinformation, remained one of the biggest challenges to the programme.
In response to that, districts were engaging parents through Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and community-based activities to build trust and provide accurate information about the vaccine’s safety and benefits, the Acting EPI Manager said.
“We are still engaging parents. PTAs are crucial platforms that bring parents, teachers and health workers together, and we have encouraged districts to make full use of them.”
The programme is also turning to data and geospatial analysis to better identify underserved areas and target remaining eligible girls more efficiently.
She said while the HPV vaccination programme focuses exclusively on girls aged nine to 14 years, there was growing demand from adults who wish to be vaccinated but could not afford the cost in the private sector.
“Unfortunately, this programme does not cover adults. It is strictly for girls aged nine to 14. However, we will continue to advocate that governments and organizations should subsidise the vaccine in the private sector for older people who want it,” she assured.
Dr Kutsuati advised adults seeking the vaccine to undergo appropriate testing, particularly if they were sexually active, before taking it.
She was optimistic that the remaining girls would be reached within the year to protect them against the deadly disease.
“So far, so good, but it could be better. And what will make it better is simple — let’s get our girls vaccinated,” she stated.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Ghana, with approximately 3,072 new cases and 1,815 deaths annually, or roughly 5-8 deaths per day, often driven by late-stage diagnosis.
A single dose of the Gardasil 4 (HPV) vaccine to be administered to these young girls, however, would protect them for life.
GNA
