The plan to offer the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls 11 to 12 years old was hailed as the correct decision at a town hall meeting yesterday.
George Griffith, executive director of the Barbados Family Planning Association, spoke of the benefits of the vaccine during the well-attended meeting at The St Michael School.
Speaking from the floor, he buttressed contributions made earlier by health professionals from the head table who sought to outline why it should be introduced. HPV is transmitted sexually and the vaccine protects against several types of cancers, including cervical cancer.
The vaccine is given in three doses over a six-month period.
“It is important to have this discussion. There are inquiring faces in the audience and that is important . . . but the long-term decisions must be in the best interest of our children,” Griffith said.
“We have to behave in a way that we support the modern technology and its advances. We must give our children a chance. Let them be protected against the HPV virus,” he said to applause.
