More than 19,000 schoolchildren are waiting to be vaccinated against measles and 12,000 are waiting to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus.
Seremi de Salud Coquimbo called on parents and guardians to complete the vaccination program for school children, especially against measles and human papillomavirus.
Due to the impact of the epidemic, it is difficult for the school population to accept different vaccination strategies between 2020 and 2022, which is why many students have not received the corresponding doses.
To this end, the Ministry of Health has implemented a strategy to improve the protection of school-age children, especially vaccines against diseases such as measles and human papillomavirus.
Nurse Karen Gallardo, head of the Seremi de Salud immunization program, explains, “This strategy was developed because coverage was not ideal in the context of the epidemic, mainly because students were not present. Therefore, this new strategy from the Ministry of Health It’s another opportunity to receive the vaccine to be vaccinated,” the professional said.
Dr. Paola Salas, the region’s health minister, explained that this strategy directly benefits the region’s children. «I invite parents to vaccinate their children.
Currently, more than 19,000 schoolchildren in the region have not been vaccinated against measles. And more than 12,000 boys and girls are waiting to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, which corresponds to more than 80 percent of those left behind,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Karen Gallardo emphasized the benefits of vaccination: “It is important that parents are able to complete the vaccination program and prevent disease. For example, vaccination protects against human papillomavirus, which is cervical cancer , the leading cause of penile and anal cancer,” he said.
Where can I get vaccinated?
The vaccine is free and parents can go to the vaccination center nearest their home (either public or private) through an agreement so they can start the vaccination or participate in updates.
Why get vaccinated?
Human papillomavirus is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women and has also been linked to other cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis and anus.
At the same time, measles is an immunopreventable, viral, acute, and highly contagious disease. Its main symptoms include fever, conjunctivitis, runny nose, cough, skin lesions and the appearance of small white spots on the lining of the cheeks.