Penang spearheads HPV jabs for males

WHEN project coordinator Lim San Hoe accompanied his sister to the state-level HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination programme, little did he know that he would also get inoculated.

“I did not know that men can also receive the vaccine.

“I had thought that it was only for women,” Lim, 26, said when met at an event held at Dewan MPKK Bukit Tengah in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

He decided to get the vaccine after a member of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) at the registration counter explained how the vaccine could protect him.

Lim is glad NCSM is encouraging men to protect against HPV.

His sister, too, prompted him to get vaccinated.

“I will surely share this information with my friends as I am sure a lot of men are not aware that they can be vaccinated against the HPV virus.

“I am glad that NCSM is creating awareness of HPV and the vaccine being for both men and women,” he added.

Lim was among those who attended the “Leaving No One Behind” vaccination programme, a one-day event organised by NCSM and Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara (PWM).

Penang became the first state to have a HPV vaccination initiative for men to prevent genital warts, anal cancers and penile cancers.

The programme aims to provide free single dose HPV vaccinations for females and males aged 13 to 26, and who are from underprivileged, disabled and rural communities throughout Malaysia.

The campaign, which started last November, aims to protect women and girls against cervical cancer.

The Penang event, however, became the start of the move to also encourage men and boys to take the vaccine.

Clerk Y. Priyaloshini, 20, said she was encouraged by her mother, who had cervical cancer, to be vaccinated.

Priyaloshini hopes more women will get vaccinated.

“My mother told me about this programme and she said I should not waste the opportunity to get this free vaccination.

“I am glad that the government provides such programmes, especially for the underprivileged.

“I hope women will make the most of this vaccination campaign and protect themselves from cervical cancer,” she added.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who launched the event, said the HPV virus had caused 95% of cervical cancer cases among women.

He said early intervention via the HPV vaccine could reduce up to 90% of the risk of cervical cancer, the third most common cancer among women in Malaysia.

Chow also announced that the NCSM campaign would be extended until next year.

He then urged eligible Penang folk not to miss out on the chance to get protected.

Commending NCSM for its outreach, he expressed hope that corporate sponsors would support the society to ensure as many Malaysians as possible received the vaccine.

NCSM managing director Assoc Prof Dr M. Murallitharan said the society was already working with 60 different non-governmental organisations in Penang to roll out the vaccine.

Dr Muralllitharan: We aim to vaccinate 300,000 women and men this year.

“We also have separate teams going to homes, orphanages and prisons for this purpose.

“We aim to vaccinate 300,000 men and women in the country this year alone.

“Our main targets are school dropouts, the disabled, hardcore poor, teenage mothers and children at reform centres, as we believe these are the groups that have been left out,” he said.

Dr Murallitharan explained that the vaccine had been reduced to a single dose by World Health Organisation (WHO) since November last year.

Previously, it had consisted of three doses.

“Since a single dose is more cost effective, more people can be inoculated,” he said.

Dr Murallitharan said that more than 30,000 doses had thus far been rolled out in Penang, with NCSM aiming to hit 50,000 doses by the end of this year.

In his speech at the event, he thanked corporate partners who financed 300,000 doses of the vaccine.

He highlighted that NCSM was still in need of about RM6mil for the campaign.

Also present at the event were PWM chairman Tan Lean Kee, state housing committee chairman and Perai assemblyman Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu, Bukit Tengah assemblyman Gooi Hsiao-Leung, Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Syn Tze and Penang health director Dr Fazilah Shaik Allaudin.

At the hall, exhibitors set up booths for medical, eye and dental check-ups, as well as provided automated external defibrillators (AED) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) demonstrations.

Food stalls, free haircut services and a dance workout lent a carnival-like vibe to the event.