U

nsatisfied by its 92 percent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination rate for elementary school students, the city administration is intensifying its campaign to boost public awareness about the menace of cervical cancer.

Since the Jakarta Health Agency began the immunization program, 66,000 of the 70,000 targeted students have been vaccinated, official figures show. The information campaign is chiefly targeted at 28 schools, both state and private, that refuse to have their pupils vaccinated for various reasons.

Health Agency chief in charge of disease prevention and control, Widyastuti, said recently that schools refused to take part in the vaccination program largely because they did not understand the benefits.

“Some parents have refused to vaccinate their children, citing existing health problems as excuses,” she told The Jakarta Post. The program covers all 2,896 elementary schools across the city.

Jakarta has been made a pilot project for free HPV vaccination for students aged between 9 and 13. The Rp 10 billion (US$75,013) vaccination program will reach another 140,000 fifth and sixth graders in October. After Jakarta, the immunization program will be expanded to include Gunung Kidul in Yogyakarta and Ponorogo and Surabaya in East Java.

”Our task now is to educate school administrators and parents about the HPV vaccine and the dangers of cervical cancer. We will continue attempting to persuade them for the sake of their children’s health,” she said.

The agency plans to join forces with mayors, religious leaders and school organizations to make the program a success.

Widyastuti assured that locally concocted vaccines met international quality standards with the ingredients being imported.

In Indonesia, cervical cancer grabbed national attention following dangdut singer Julia Perez’s death from the disease earlier this year. According to 2002 World Health Organization (WHO) data, one woman in the world dies every hour from cervical cancer.

Most cervical cancers are caused by certain strains of the virus, namely HPV16 and HPV18, which account for 70 percent of all cases. It can be passed on through skin-to-skin contact.

The Jakarta-chapter of the Indonesian Cancer Foundation (YKI) social service head, Venita, decried the 28 schools’ refusal to participate in the vaccination drive, saying it demonstrated a lack of awareness among Jakarta residents.

“However, we don’t want to focus on the 28 schools’ reluctance but rather on the 92 percent coverage already achieved. The effort has been on the right track,” Venita said.

To help boost public awareness, the YKI conducts cervical smear tests on about 10,000 women a year and addresses Family Welfare Movement (PKK) gatherings on the need for prevention and early detection of the disease.

Deputy head of the YKI Jakarta chapter Carmen Jahja criticized the government for focusing on dissemination and education programs and less on the availability and affordability of the vaccine.

“The campaign has been conducted by many parties. But real solutions remain elusive because the vaccine is too costly for the public,” she said. The vaccine costs more than Rp 800,000 (US$60). To lower the price, the YKI has proposed that bulk purchases be made so as to get discounts. Cindy Rani Wirasti of the Indonesian Coalition to Prevent Cervical Cancer (KICKS) said even though many women already knew about the importance of HPV vaccination, they were still reluctant to see doctors because the vaccine was expensive and consultation fees costly.

“Of the 500 patients that visit my clinic in a month, only about 20 percent have been vaccinated,” said the doctor at a gynecology clinic in Central Jakarta. (yon)