Liberia’s Health Ministry is being urged “to ensure that girls in hard to reach areas are not left behind and that all girls have access to important vaccines such as the Tetanus, Rubella and the HPV,” the head of a local NGO, Public Health Initiative of Liberia (PHIL) says.
Joyce Kilikpos Jarwolo says “these vaccines will offer protection against 70% of incidences of Cervical Cancer, which claims the lives of an estimated 266,000 women and girls globally every year, while 16,546 die annually across West Africa.”
In Liberia, an estimated 269 deaths in women are said to be attributed to Cervical Cancer annually. It is also said to be rated the second leading cause of Cancer death in Women between the ages of 15-44 year-old.
A press release from the group says PHIL’s latest call on Liberia’s Health Ministry is part of a major effort, as the local NGO joins 12 civil society organizations (CSOs) “to launch the 33 Day toPower Up Immunization Campaign on the Continent.”
The release says CSOs from Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Senegal, Kenya, Cameroun, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia will work together in implementing the initiative aimed at holding African governments accountable for the multiple promises they have made to support Immunization.
According to the PHIL Executive Director, during the campaign, her NGO will be tracking the vaccines, the finances and the legislation, which she said will help Liberia stay on course to achieving universal access to Immunization.
Jarwolo disclosed that in 2016, Africa marked a significant achievements of interrupting the near elimination of Meningococcal Meningitis A epidemic, and the significant reduction in disease burden and child mortality due to Measles.
“In Liberia, we have reached 80-85% immunization coverage. We recognize the efforts that have gone into reaching these levels. However much more needs to be done if we are to reach the 2020 goals that our governments have set in the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP),” the head of PHIL says.
“Civil Society must keep track of government progress towards implementation of these commitments and ensure that they deliver if we want to reach the 2020 targets as set in the GVAP,” Jarwolo adds.
In January 2017, African Heads of States endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization, through which they acknowledged that despite their endorsement of the Global Vaccine Action Plan, they are largely off track.
The ADI reinforces their commitment at the highest level of political engagement, according to the PHIL press release.