Health Minister Sílvia Lutukuta told the press that the immunogen will be applied to girls from nine to 12 years old, in a bid to prevent this disease, the second type of cancer that most affects Angolan women.

She added that the country aims to reach 2.1 million girls with this vaccine, called Cecolin and manufactured by the Innovax laboratory, which is qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as highly effective and safe.

Lutukuta stated that the vaccination campaign will be carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and is scheduled to last seven days.

The Minister of Education, Luísa Grillo, guaranteed her portfolio’s support to the endeavor, as the country strives to ward off one ailment that reports around 300 cases annually in Angola. “More often than not women arrive late at the health institutions and it ends in their painful death”, said the Health incumbent, adding that in many occasions they are young women, hence the need to work on prevention.

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