It was an enormous relief to mother Jabumkhaliphi Sifundza when her ten-year-old daughter, Nozweno, was vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). She’d heard about the vaccine on social media and wanted to do everything possible to protect Nozweno from cervical cancer.
Alongside Eswatini’s efforts to vaccinate girls like Nozweno during immunization drives in schools, the government is leveraging the opportunity to simultaneously vaccinate the boys against COVID-19 in an innovative advance towards integrating these vaccines into routine immunization.
High HPV rates in the country are fuelled by high HIV rates, driving up cervical cancer case numbers and deaths. As of 18 April, Eswatini has, with the support of partners including World Health Organization (WHO), vaccinated over 50 000 girls in schools, with a national coverage of 64.3%.
Meanwhile, although the emergency phase of COVID-19 is over, the virus continues to spread and endanger people’s lives. In Eswatini, integration of COVID-19 vaccination …