Previously, the vaccine Gardasil 9 was given to young people aged nine to 26, targeting them before their first sexual encounter.
Although the uptake of HPV vaccine in Kenya is still low, vaccination has a potential to prevent most of the cervical cancers which affect 5,250 women and anal cancer which attacks 113 Kenyans every year.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which prevents cancers of the cervix and penis, has been approved for men and women aged above 27 years.
Previously, the vaccine Gardasil 9 was given to young people aged nine to 26, targeting them before their first sexual encounter.
The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the age to 45 years to protect more people from cancers of the cervix, penis, anus, throat and vagina, which are caused by sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus.
Although the uptake of HPV vaccine in Kenya is still low, vaccination has a potential to prevent most of the cervical cancers which affect 5,250 women and anal cancer which attacks 113 Kenyans every year.
According to the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, penile cancer is also on the rise with 53 Kenyans getting the disease every year and 18 dying from it.
Dr Catherine Nyongesa-Watta, a consultant oncologist said about 90 per cent of penile and anal cancers are caused by HPV.
“Early signs of cancer of the penis include a growth, a sore, smelly discharge and bleeding under the foreskin,’’ she said.
For anal cancer, signs include pain when passing stool which is caused by narrowing of the passage, having ulcer or a growth and discharge, said Dr Nyongesa who is also the founder of Texas Cancer Centre.
Few Kenyans know about the vaccine and those who know it are held back by the high cost.
There are different types of HPV vaccines.
Recombinant HPV vaccine, for instance, costs Sh14,742 for a single dose in private hospitals. Cervarix costs Sh8,000 a dose while its generic version is cheaper at Sh3,000 a dose.
Dr Khadija Warfa, a consultant obstetrician gynecologist at Aga Khan University Hospital said girls and boys aged 11 to 12 years require two injections at least six months apart.
“Teens and young adults who start the vaccination later, at ages 15 through 26 years, need three doses of the HPV vaccine,’’ she said.
Gardasil vaccine that costs Sh14,485 can now be administered on both children and adults aged nine to 45 years in three doses.
Its approval was based on a study in women that showed the vaccine was highly effective in preventing persistent HIV infection, genital warts and genital precancers.
In Kenya, the worrying rise in cervical, penile and anal new cancers and deaths is due to lack of awareness, failure to screen people for the diseases and late diagnosis.
Dr Warfa said women aged between 21 and 29 should do pap smear tests to check for any abnormality of the cervix every three years.
After 30 years, the pap tests should be combined with a HPV gene test, and done every five years until a woman reaches 65.
“Symptoms of cervical cancer include irregular or heavy vaginal bleeding, low back pain and blood urine or stool,’’ she said.
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