Calgary leads province in HPV vaccinations

The study showed 76.8 percent of the boys and 84.4 percent of the girls in Calgary had received all three doses of HPV vaccine, by the end of grade nine in the last scholastic year.

In comparison, Edmonton could only cover 61.9 percent of the boys and 70 percent of the girls within the same span of time. Edmonton, too, lagged behind the regular provincial average of 66.4 percent for boys and 76.3 percent for girls.

The shot requires a parent approval before being administered to students by the health services in the schools or at community levels.

According to Dr. Gerry Predy, Senior Medical Officer of Health, there had been scope for betterment of AHS immunization program, while comparing the differences between two biggest cities in Alberta. 

He also stated that since Calgary assumed a higher socioeconomic status, it tended to have higher immunization rates overall.

Dr Predy had also pointed towards a very practical problem. Many parents though willing, could not afford this vaccination to their children because of financial constraints. Apart from that there were other problems like convenient time. Sometimes job schedule of the parents or guardians were not compatible to clinic hours. So program could be made affordable to more students by extending Clinic hours in some areas or by providing bus tickets.

HPV, basically a sexually transmitted disease, could cause various forms of cancer like cervical, anal, penile, vaginal, head and neck cancers, if infected.

A recent AHS study further revealed that girls who had completed three doses of HPV vaccine had fewer abnormalities on PAP tests after attaining adulthood.

(Reporting by Chandan Som)