The Ministry of Health has rolled out a nationwide campaign to vaccinate one million girls between the ages of 11 and 18 against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. The launch was announced during the government’s weekly press briefing at the Miatta Civic Centre in Freetown.
Deputy Minister of Health II, Dr Jalikatu Mustapha, said the expansion of the programme reflects the government’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer within the next twenty years. She noted that President Julius Maada Bio has placed women’s health at the centre of national policy and has urged health authorities to intensify prevention efforts.
“No woman in this country should lose her life to a disease that can be prevented,” Dr Mustapha said. Her remarks came as the world marked the first Global Action Day for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer on 17 November, a day intended to rally nations behind the long-term goal of ending the disease.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in Sierra Leone. Around 500 new cases are reported each year, and most of the women diagnosed do not survive. Dr Mustapha described the situation as especially painful because HPV infection can be prevented with a simple vaccine that is more than 90 percent effective when given before exposure to the virus.
Sierra Leone first piloted the HPV vaccine in 2013. The effort grew significantly in 2023 when the government, with support from Gavi, UNICEF and other partners, introduced the vaccine into the national immunisation schedule as part of a broader Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy. Almost 200,000 ten-year-old girls were vaccinated within two weeks of the first rollout, and more than 500,000 girls have now received the vaccine.
The new campaign widens access by targeting all eligible girls aged 11 to 18, including those who are not in school. Dr Mustapha said special outreach plans have been developed to reach girls in remote communities so that “no girl is missed, regardless of where she lives”.
Alongside the vaccination effort, the Ministry of Health has set up 24 screening and treatment centres across the country. These facilities allow women to be screened, diagnosed, and treated on the same day, which health officials say is critical in reducing deaths linked to late detection. Seven of the centres are located in the Western Area.
The ministry is also working with Zambian specialists to train Sierra Leonean surgeons to perform cervical cancer operations locally. Dr Mustapha said that for many women, the ability to receive treatment inside the country removes a long-standing barrier that once forced them to travel abroad at great cost.
Hospice units have been created to provide palliative care for women with advanced disease, giving families access to supportive services that were previously unavailable.
Dr Mustapha expressed confidence that with continued commitment, Sierra Leone could eliminate cervical cancer within the next decade or two. She spoke candidly about losing her own grandmother to the disease at a time when little was known about its cause.
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“Today we understand it. We have the tools to prevent it. And we intend to use them,” she said.
She added that the vaccination drive reflects the government’s broader goal of ensuring reliable healthcare for all, especially women and girls.
“This is more than a programme,” she said. “It is a promise that every girl in Sierra Leone deserves a healthy future, free from a preventable disease.”
