Authorities from the Public Health Ministry (MSP) and the National Public Education Administration (ANEP) agreed to start the immunization campaign in mid-May.

Prior to the campaign, there will be an information campaign on the possibilities of accessing the immunization free of charge for men and women between 11 and 26 years of age.

The HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause health problems such as genital warts and cancer, particularly cervical cancer, which is among the most common in Uruguay.

More than 300 cases of cervical cancer and 140 deaths are reported annually, according to Health Minister Karina Rando.

This type of cancer is 100 percent preventable through the application of the vaccine, Rando pointed out.

By the end of 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a strategy for the elimination of this cancer.

It called for 90 percent coverage of children under 15 years of age with the vaccine, 70 percent of women with HPV testing at 35 and 45 years of age, and 90 percent treatment of pre-malignant and malignant cervical lesions.

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