KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry will implement a catch-up immunisation programme for students left out of HPV immunisation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad (Kuala Selangor-PH) said it received 50,000 doses of HPV vaccine in January this year, which will be given to all female Form 1 students from the 2021 cohort who are yet to receive the jabs.
“The Health Ministry will implement the ‘catch-up’ HPV Immunisation Programme to the students from all cohorts in 2024.
“(The ministry will also) ensure they receive their immunisation before they finish their studies,” the ministry said in a parliamentary written reply.
He was responding to Mohammed Taufiq Johari (Sg Petani-PH), who asked about mitigation steps being taken to provide vaccination for students missed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taufiq also asked about the percentage of female students who have received their HPV shots over the past five years.
In response, Dzulkefly said the HPV immunisation programme has had over 95% coverage since its inception in 2010, but has seen a halt since the pandemic.
He added that 208,500 (98.3%) female Form 1 students from the 2019 cohort received their vaccinations, while 209,279 (96.7%) students from the 2020 cohort received theirs.
In 2021, the numbers dropped to 113,708 (52.3%), while none of the 2022 and 2023 cohorts received their vaccinations due to a lack of supply. – March 6, 2024