Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Cancer Survivor Supports Health Ministry’s HPV Vaccine Drive
#Kingston, November 6, 2018 – Jamaica – Cervical cancer survivor, Juliet Davis, is in support of the Health Ministry’s introduction of the bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine being administered to thousands of grade-seven students across the island.
Mrs. Davis, who was first diagnosed with the cancer in 2009 at the age of 49, says the vaccine would have been useful in reducing her chances of getting the disease. She also notes it would have enabled her to avoid the aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“If I had known about the vaccine like I do now, I wouldn’t have to be fighting it (the cancer). I would be free as a bird, and so I am encouraging mothers to allow their daughters to take the vaccine,” Mrs. Davis tells JIS News.
Cervical cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican women between 30 and 50 years of age.
As its name suggests, the cancer attacks the cervix, which is the lower portion of the uterus. It is approximately two inches long and is tubular in shape. Late-stage diagnosis of cervical cancer is not only painful, but costs millions of dollars to treat.
The cancer, transmitted primarily via sexual contact, is responsible for approximately 90 per cent of all cervical cancers.
A study conducted in the United States revealed that within four years of the vaccine’s introduction, HPV decreased by over 50 per cent among females 14 to 20 years of age.
Support for the use of the vaccine has also come from Chairman of the Jamaica Cancer Society and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica National Group, Earl Jarrett, who allowed his daughters and son to take it years ago.
During a town hall meeting on the HPV vaccine at the Webster Memorial Church in Kingston on October 31, Acting Director of the Health Ministry’s Family Health Unit, Dr. Melody Ennis, said if nothing is done to solve the problem, then 90 per cent of those infected with the virus will die.
She informed that HPV is robust and easily transmitted and is the commonest sexually transmitted infection that exists.
“Having all of this information, the Ministry of Health had to take some action. We embraced the recommendation of the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to introduce the vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer to girls nine to 14 years of age,” she said.
“We have decided in Jamaica to give it to girls entering grade seven, which means we’re giving it to girls on average between ages 11 and 12,” Dr. Ennis continued.
Last year October, the Health Ministry introduced the non-mandatory HPV vaccination programme to target an initial 22,000 grade-seven girls to provide the best protection against types 16 and 18 of the virus.
These two types are responsible for about 70 per cent of all cases of cervical cancer.
Turning to the benefits, Dr. Ennis informed that “where the vaccine has been used, there has been a significant decrease by 68 per cent in HPV infections, pre-cancer and cancerous legions”.
“Australia is proud. In March of this year, a headline in the Guardian (newspaper) read that they could be the first country to eradicate cervical cancer…because they started years ago to give the vaccine to young girls before they were exposed to the virus,” she said.
Paediatrician and Adolescent Medicine Specialist, Dr. Abigail Harrison, reassures that there are no live parts of the virus present in the vaccine or “any other special preservative agents that we need to worry about”.
“The World Health Organisation has reviewed multiple papers, and it is safe. There have been multiple clinical trials (also),” she said.
Dr. Harrison indicated that where side effects do exist, as with other medications, “there are mild symptoms”.
“So, we tell our girls that they may feel dizzy, they may feel a little bit upset, but if they sit down they are good to go again. The symptoms are self-limiting, meaning they will finish all on their own, and you will not have to do anything about them,” she explained.
Release: JIS
By: Chad Bryan
Photo Caption: Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Clive Lai (left), greets Cervical Cancer Survivor, Juliet Davis, at a town hall meeting on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, at the Webster Memorial Church in Kingston, on October 31. At centre is Acting Director of the Health Ministry’s Family Health Unit, Dr. Melody Ennis.
Mark Bell photos
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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