By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma
Health Education Officer – HEP/MoHS
Paramount Chief, Alhaji Masakama Kanamanka III of Kholifa Rowalla, a key champion for the ongoing Human Papilloma Virus vaccine roll-out in Tonkolili District has said that his support and championing of the HPV Vaccination was as result of a commitment made by traditional leaders (PCs) at a regional meeting held by the ministry of Health and Sanitation for Paramount Chiefs last week in Makeni.
While addressing participants at the District HPV Vaccine roll-out launch in Magburka Town, PC Alhaji Masakama said that he has mobilized all his sub chiefs to support and ensure that all 10 year old girls both in and out of schools are vaccinated as it is geared toward protecting young girls against cervical cancer. He added that the vaccination exercise would help young girls to grow into women who must be prevented from suffering and death later in life.
PC Alhaji Masakama called on other traditional leaders and stakeholders to support the HPV Vaccine roll-out as cervical cancer can affect their children, sisters and wives and considered the roll-out of the vaccine as the best opportunity to prevent them against the disease.
PC Masakama referenced the experts, saying that the vaccine is safe and effective and that parents/mothers should not be afraid as it’s for the health and future of their children.
PC Alhaji Masakama Kanamanka observed that the bulk of the target age group, girls aged 10 could be found in schools which make it easy to carry out the vaccination rollout at that level.
He expressed serious concern over the difficulty to reach out of school girls and urged the authorities to make efforts to reach them as it’s their entitlement and right. He also assured that he and his sub-chiefs will not only support the vaccination teams in schools, but also in the communities.
PC Alhaji Masakama Kanamanka boasted that he is one of the certified vaccine champions in the Country, a gesture he thanked the Ministry of Health and Partners for.