By the end of the year, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection integrated the HPV vaccine into the national inoculation schedule. This vaccine is administered to 13-year-old girls with a single dose. The chief of the vaccination program of the Institute of Public Health (ISHP) Rovena Daja gave an interview to TV Klan providing details on the changes in the vaccination calendar.

“Starting from March 2023, the HPV vaccine will be administered together with the Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccine, so citizens will not have to come to the vaccination centers twice,” pointed out Daja.

She continued that following the WHO directives, the HPV vaccine which protects girls from cervical cancer is administered with a single jab.

“It is a single tetravalent dose which manages to offer protection because it includes all the strains which are circulating,” said ISHP expert. She also announced that apart from 13-year-old girls, this vaccine can be administered even to older girls, hence ISHP will initiate an immunization campaign for girls over 14 years of age in 2024.

“We have planned an inoculation campaign for all the girls aged 14-18 or even 20 years of age. Surely this vaccine will be offered free of charge,” she stated. Girls who are over 18 can be inoculated with the HPV vaccine provided they have had no sexual intercourse. They will also receive two jabs for maximum efficiency. According to ISHP data, around 3,500 girls have received the HPV vaccine.