More than three-fourths of CNMI high school girls have been vaccinated with the human papillomavirus vaccine last year as part of the Department of Public Health\u2019s campaign to prevent cervical cancer. <\/p>\n
Within the entire CNMI, 76 percent of girls were vaccinated, DPH Immunization coordinator Mariana Sablan said. <\/p>\n
On Rota, all 91 girls were vaccinated, while 90 percent of girls on Tinian were vaccinated. On Saipan, 75 percent of public school girls and 82 percent of private school girls, for a total of 80 percent, were vaccinated. The female students received three shots to complete the vaccination process. <\/p>\n
Sablan said she was satisfied with the numbers because many of the girls who were not vaccinated left the islands for other reasons. <\/p>\n
The campaign targeted high schools so they could be immunized before they graduated, Sablan said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they graduate, you can\u2019t capture them,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
This year the campaign will focus on sixth graders. Sablan said she would like to vaccinate at least 95 percent of the girls. <\/p>\n
There was some controversy to the program, including religious barriers, she said. Some opponents say dispensing the HPV vaccine encourages girls to have sex rather than preventing premarital sex. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince it\u2019s got to do with sex, parents are sometimes hesitant,\u201d she said, adding that the CNMI being predominantly Catholic fuels the controversy. <\/p>\n
But once parents learned more about the program, they were more receptive, Sablan said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are always parents who are concerned and protective,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do understand where they\u2019re coming from. The only thing we can do is answer questions and let them decide what to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not a required shot, compared to measles, mumps or rubella,\u201d she added. \u201cIt is a preventative measure that has a lot of controversy. We highly recommend it to reduce the number of cervical cancer cases. We encourage parents to talk openly with their kids.\u201d <\/p>\n
She said that every seven weeks a woman in the CNMI is diagnosed with cervical cancer. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of woman dying and it\u2019s sad to know prevention was available,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Sablan was asked to speak about the success of the CNMI\u2019s program at the National Immunization Conference in Atlanta. The first vaccination will begin around late October. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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