Promotion of HPV vaccine
Thailand has almost 6,500 new cervical cancer patients - with most the result of the human papilloma virus (HPV) - and some 3,000 people a year are dying from the disease annually, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said yesterday.
As a result, DDC chief Dr Amnuay Kajina said the National Vaccine Institute’s subcommittee on immunity promotion has resolved to recommend the HPV vaccine for use in a national-level immunity promotion.
He said the DDC was proceeding in accordance with this policy and had asked the Food and Drug Administration – in its capacity as secretary to the national drug-list development sub-panel – to consider incorporating the HPV vaccine on the national drug list. The sub-panel was considering the proposal, he added.
He said the DDC had also asked the National Health Security Office (NHSO) to promote this vaccine at appropriate occasions so the target groups could be protected from cervical cancer.He said the NHSO was drafting a budget plan for the next fiscal year to support the use of the HPV vaccine, which would be doable if the vaccine were included on the national drug list. The subcommittee on immunity promotion will meet to discuss the vaccine tomorrow.
Amnuay said the scheme aimed to provide the vaccine to girls as young as nine years old nationwide.
