Lijiang offers free HPV vaccine to 14-year-olds

A notice on implementation of free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was issued February 21 by Gucheng district, northwest Yunnan’s Lijiang city.

Targeting girls aged 14, it is the first offer of HPV vaccination to women in Yunnan province. Girls born after January 1, 2008 can receive the first dose of the vaccine at their freewill.

In China, the incidence of cervical cancer ranks the first in malignant tumor of female reproductive system, and it is increasing year by year and the victims are getting younger. China reported 110,000 new cases in 2015, resulting in 50,000 deaths.

The vaccine can prevent most cases of cervical cancer if the vaccine is given before girls or women are exposed to the virus. The best time to get the HPV vaccine is between 9 and 14.

WHO set the goal of eliminating cervical cancer worldwide in 2018, targeting mostly on girls aged 9-14. The Chinese health authorities also recommended HPV vaccines to girls aged 13-15.

In recent years, the HPV vaccination has been implemented in the Chinese localities of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Shandong province and Xiamen city and others.

Source: Kunming Times; Photos by Kunming times and Lijiang Publish; Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi