About 400,000 girls to be vaccinated against papillomavirus In October

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 12 March, a press conference was held at the Agency of Information and Mass Communications on the theme “Introduction of a new vaccine against the papilloma virus in Uzbekistan: goals and expected results”.

“According to the World Health Organization, 1,660 women suffer from cervical cancer every year in Uzbekistan,” said Elmira Basitkhanova, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan. - In the republic, the number of deaths from this disease averages 585 cases per year. That is, it means that almost every day two residents of Uzbekistan die from cervical cancer caused by the papillomavirus.

Ministry of Health officials noted that the vaccine against this virus has been used successfully for many years in Australia, Scotland, Finland and New Zealand, the press service of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications reports.

In Uzbekistan, in 2010, 8,000 girls were vaccinated in several oblasts of the country. However, no side effects or effects from the vaccine have been identified.

“The vaccine against the human papillomavirus is absolutely safe, it does not harm human health, which is also confirmed by the positive conclusions of international organizations,” said the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan Dilorom Tursunova. “All the rumors and various rumors about the fact that the vaccine leads to infertility and autism are unfounded and disinformation.”

According to Erkin Musabaev, director of the Research Institute of Virology, the vaccine was produced in the USA using genetic engineering technologies. The cost of the vaccine imported to Uzbekistan is $ 7 million.

In October 2019, 400,000 girls aged 9 will be vaccinated against HPV. Vaccination will be free and in two stages. The second will be held in April next year.

From 2020, girls up to 14 years old will be vaccinated against HPV. Those who are older will also be able to receive the vaccine, but already on a paid basis. Any woman under the age of 45 will be able to vaccinate.

At the conference, it was noted that special training courses for health workers were planned to help them learn how to use the new vaccine correctly and safely.