{"id":98054,"date":"2025-10-11T13:34:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T13:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=98054"},"modified":"2025-10-11T13:34:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T13:34:14","slug":"stakeholders-in-ahafo-region-unite-to-protect-39772-girls-from-cervical-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=98054","title":{"rendered":"Stakeholders in Ahafo region unite to protect 39,772 girls from cervical cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 15 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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A coalition of traditional leaders, educators, journalists, local government officials, and health professionals in the Ahafo Region has launched an ambitious health drive to shield nearly 40,000 young girls from one of the world\u2019s most preventable yet devastating diseases \u2013 cervical cancer.<\/p>\n

The campaign, spearheaded by the Ahafo Regional Health Directorate, aims to vaccinate 39,772 girls aged nine to 14 against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) \u2013 the virus responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases.<\/p>\n

At a community durbar in Kenyasi, parents, teachers, and chiefs gathered to mark the beginning of what health officials describe as a \u201chistoric step\u201d toward a cancer-free generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur traditional leaders will move from town to town, from classroom to classroom, ensuring every eligible girl gets her shot,\u201d said Baffour Adjei Fofie, Akwamuhene of the Hwediem Traditional Council, underscoring the cultural backing for the effort.<\/p>\n

\"Stakeholders<\/figure>\n

By the close of the first day, over 7,000 girls had already received the vaccine \u2013 a remarkable start toward achieving the region\u2019s target.<\/p>\n

The Ghana Education Service (GES) is playing a key role in the five-day campaign, ensuring schools serve as vaccination hubs and information centres.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is full coverage,\u201d said Appiah Kubi, Ahafo Regional School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator. \u201cNo girl should be left behind \u2014 not in the towns, not in the remote farming communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health officials say collaboration with schools is crucial, as teachers often serve as trusted voices in communities where misconceptions about vaccines can delay uptake.<\/p>\n

Addressing the gathering, Dr Akosua Agyeiwaa Owusu-Sarpong, Ahafo Regional Director of Health Service, reaffirmed the vaccine\u2019s safety and its proven effectiveness in preventing cervical cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis vaccine is safe, approved by the World Health Organisation, and capable of saving thousands of lives,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are not just vaccinating girls \u2014 we are protecting future mothers, professionals, and leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Owusu-Sarpong encouraged parents to ensure their daughters get vaccinated before the campaign ends on October 11, calling the HPV jab \u201ca gift of prevention no child should miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Stakeholders<\/figure>\n

At the Kenyasi No. 2 D\/A Girls Basic School, a 13-year-old student heaved a sigh of relief after receiving her shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy because they said this will keep me healthy when I grow up,\u201d she said proudly.<\/p>\n

Health experts emphasise that HPV vaccination is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions \u2014 a simple injection that can prevent a cancer claiming over 340,000 women worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n

In Ghana, cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women, but health officials believe that with sustained vaccination campaigns, education, and screening, the country can reverse that trend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"StakeholdersA coalition of traditional leaders, educators, journalists, local government officials, and health professionals in the Ahafo Region has launched an ambitious health drive to shield nearly 40,000 young girls from one of the world\u2019s most preventable yet devastating diseases – cervical cancer.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8662,9106,7,10,9,1907],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ahafo-region","category-cervical-cancer","category-health","category-politics","category-popular","category-regional"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=98054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=98054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=98054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=98054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}