Barbados is to offer pre-teens a vaccine that protects women against cervical cancer by yearend.
The announcement was made yesterday by Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St John in a speech to the annual conference of Cancer Support Services, a local charity, at Hilton Barbados.
She said the move by the Ministry of Health stemmed from a concern over reported cases of cancers of the cervix, breast and prostate.
The cervical cancer vaccine, which is recommended for females aged 11 to 26 years, has been in use in many countries. Just last month, health officials in the United States said its introduction there in 2006 had reduced infections with the human papillomavirus or HPV – the sexually transmitted virus that causes the disease – by more than half among girls and young women.
The theme of the conference was: Living With Cancer: My Life After Diagnosis. (AH)
