The Garissa county government has urged parents to protect their daughters against cervical cancer by ensuring they receive the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
The vaccine will be administered to girls under the age of 10.
About 33,885 girls are being targeted in the campaign which was launched at the Garissa Primary School playgrounds on Thursday.
“It is our mothers, our aunts, our sisters and daughters who suffer the most from the burden of this disease. Cancer of the cervix is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Kenya. But this is now preventable through vaccination,” Garissa Health CeC Ahmed Nathir said during the launch.
Nathir noted that cervical cancer is the leading killer in women.
Nathir asked residents to ignore rumours about the vaccine saying such talks are misinforming.
“There has been a lot of misinformation about this vaccine. Do not listen to the misinformation out there. This will save our girls from cancer,” he said.
The HPV vaccination will be rolled out in two doses with the second one after six months of the administration and will be offered in all the county public health facilities free of charge.