The Rising Nepal

By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, March 9: Cervical cancer is the largest killer among married women in the 30 to 60 years age group. The Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF) launched 'Gardasil,' a cervical cancer vaccine programme in Nepal from Sunday to bring down the number of deaths.

The vaccine would be provided to unmarried girls from 15 to 26 years and that should be provided in three doses- second dose in two months after the first one and the third dose in the sixth month.

The vaccination has been started in Nepal for the first time among the developing countries and it is very expansive, doctors said. It costs US$ 460 for full dose but it is to be given free of cost in Nepal.

Australian Ambassador Graeme Lade said that the vaccine was designed to prevent cervical cancer, the largest killer of Nepalese women in the 30 to 60 age group. He said that ACCF's vaccination programme in Nepal has been started modestly at the moment, but plans are afoot to provide 10,000 full rounds of cervical cancer Vaccines per year to young Nepalese women.

He said, "I am pleased to be associated with the launch of the Gardasil vaccine in Nepal for two main reasons. First, it has the potential to benefit large number of Nepalese women and reduce the loss of life as a result of cervical cancer and, second, I am proud that an innovative Australian medical researcher, Prof. Ian Frazer, played a leading role in the development of the vaccine.�

Dr. Surendra Bade Shrestha, president of Nepal Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (NNCTR) said that the vaccine got license one and-a-half-years back to be used in UN. He said, "Currently we have 100 vaccines and that would be provided to school girls and later 10,000 vaccine would be brought in October 2008.�

It is a school based programme and would not be provided to individuals, he informed. The aim of the ACCF is to provide Human Papilloma virus cervical cancer vaccine to young women in developing countries who are otherwise without access to the vaccine and to undertake public education and promotion campaigns on the benefits of the vaccine in Australia and developing countries.

Because of the high incidence of cervical cancer in Nepal, the ACCF, with the full approval and support of Nepalese government authorities, has chosen Nepal as the first country to benefit from its programme.

Executive Director of ACCF Michael Wille emphasized on the importance of the vaccine to protect young women in the developing countries.

Gardasil was developed by Professor Ian Frazer at the University of Queensland in Australia. Prof. Frazer was the 2006 Australian of the Year and is also the director of the ACCF.
Four schoolgirls were provided the vaccine at the programme today.

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