820,000 Form 1 female students yet to receive HPV jab

The Star

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is currently in the process of procuring vaccines to make up for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for 820,000 Form 1 girls who missed out.  Deputy Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the global disruption in the supply of HPV vaccines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the delivery of HPV vaccination in Malaysia.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 Thank you, Madam Speaker. After eating Mie Kolok, I have a lot of smiles. My question is number nine.

00:05 Thank you, my friend from Bandar Kucing. Eating laksa is my answer.

00:16 Ladies and gentlemen, the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the world has caused

00:24 a global spike in the supply of HPV vaccines, which has also disrupted the implementation of

00:30 HPV immunization in Malaysia, especially for female students in the first year or

00:37 female teenagers aged 13 years and above starting in 2020-2021. Therefore, to ensure that

00:44 students who are infected will continue to receive HPV immunization, the Ministry of Health

00:51 is in the process of obtaining the vaccine to continue the implementation of the

00:56 HPV immunization to the target group. The process of obtaining this vaccine has been considered a

01:03 government process in line with the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement

01:10 for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring

01:18 that all female students in groups 20-21, 20-22 and 20-23 who are infected receive HPV

01:27 immunization before they finish school. The priority of HPV vaccination is for

01:34 female students in the first year of 20-21, followed by 20-22 students and then 20-23 students.

01:46 The timing of this supply depends on the number of vaccines that will be obtained.

01:53 And also, what type of vaccine will be given is, this vaccine needs to have HPV type 18 and also

02:03 18. And that is the answer from the KKM.

02:11 Thank you for the answer, Minister. I bring this issue because it is an important issue

02:18 where many parents raise their concerns when their daughters are missing due to COVID-19.

02:25 I understand that almost 800,000 female students still need to be vaccinated,

02:32 combined with this cohort. So, what is the Ministry of Health's plan to speed up the

02:38 process for us to catch up so that our girls are protected from this issue?

02:44 Thank you.

02:46 Thank you, Mr. Kuching. That is a good question. We also appreciate the feelings of parents who

02:56 want to ensure their children get HPV immunization. And also, as we know,

03:03 the effects of COVID-19, we have experienced the problem of obtaining this HPV vaccine supply.

03:14 And also, for information, respected Mr. Kuching, for the purpose of starting the vaccination process,

03:21 if we have obtained the HPV vaccine supply, we have provided immunization teams,

03:28 as many as 600 teams that are ready to vaccinate at every school.

03:35 And also, the mobilization of this health group will be accelerated if the approval has been

03:42 granted by the Ministry. And also, at this time, we have opened to vendors to provide

03:49 suitable types of vaccines to be purchased. And also, we are waiting for the Ministry of Health

03:56 to agree to allow this process to be carried out immediately. That's all the answer from me.

04:05 Thank you.

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