The Ministry of Health is on Friday expected to roll out the free cervical cancer vaccine.

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This will make the country the 16th in Africa to roll out the vaccine to be administered on 10-year-old schoolgirls. 

Over 800,000 school girls will receive the vaccine.

Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki noted that the exercise will cost Sh800 million since its the first time. 

“The vaccine will be offered nationally alongside other routine infant vaccines through an existing network of more than 9,000 public, private, faith-based and NGO health facilities free of charge to 800,000 girls, who are currently aged 10 and subsequently to all girls as they attain that age in the future,” the CS said as quoted by Daily Nation

The country has already received 1.3 million doses of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that will be administered in two doses of six months apart each. 

An immunization card would be given to monitoring the girls' immunization status. 

According to Dr Fiona Atahebwe, the new Vaccines Officer at World Health Organisation (WHO) regional office, the vaccine is safe and has no side effects.

“There were no side effects witnessed and this has proven to be the safest in Africa,” Dr Atahebwe said as quoted by Daily Nation