PRESS RELEASE
Republic of Uganda and MSD Launch Cervical Cancer Vaccination Program
• Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women in Uganda
•
MSD will donate 460,000 doses of GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus
Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] over two
years
JOHANNESBURG, South-Africa, September 4, 2012/ -- The Republic of Uganda through the Ministry of Health (MoH), supported by MSD (http://www.msd.com)
known as Merck in the United States and Canada, today announced the
launch of a national vaccination program with GARDASIL® [Human
Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine,
Recombinant] for eligible girls 9 to 13 years of age in 12 districts
throughout the country. Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer
diagnosed among women in Uganda, and incidence rates of the disease in
the country are about three times the global average. An estimated
3,500 women in Uganda are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.
"Cervical
cancer is a serious health concern in Uganda as it represents the most
common cancer diagnosed in women of all ages," said Dr. Gerald Mutungi,
Program Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control
Program-Ministry of Health. "It is our hope that this important
collaboration with MSD, GAVI, PATH, and other partners will help to
reduce the burden of cervical cancer in Uganda."
Through
an agreement with MSD, the vaccination program will be implemented with
460,000 doses of GARDASIL donated to 12 districts in Uganda over a two
year period, enough to vaccinate approximately 140,000 eligible girls in
12 districts. The program represents the first phase of Uganda's
national roll out plan for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.
"The
launch of this program in Uganda is another important step in helping
to support our goal of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer around
the world, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the burden of
cervical cancer is significant," said Colleen McGuffin, vice president,
Merck Vaccines. "We are pleased to donate GARDASIL to support the
Ugandan Ministry of Health's cervical cancer prevention efforts."
“At
MSD we are committed to work with health officials and other
stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa to advance human health and to
protect future generations of Africans from potentially devastating
diseases,” says Henrik Secher, managing director, MSD Africa. “Being
part of the Cervical Cancer Vaccination program in Uganda is a great
example of how – in close cooperation with local governments – we can
help improve access to much needed vaccines.”
Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.
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