THE Ministry of Health announced that the HPV vaccination programme for young girls to prevent cervical cancer will continue in 2026, with the age limit extended up to 18 years old.
In Myanmar, the cervical cancer vaccine has been administered annually to girls aged nine to 11 since 2023, using both school-based and community-based approaches, said Union Minister Dr Thet Khaing Win at the commemorative ceremony at the Myanmar Convention Centre on Mindhamma Road, Mayangon, Yangon.
He emphasised the need to strengthen efforts for the community-based vaccination approach. The vaccination (HPV MAC - HPV Multi-Age Cohort Vaccination) for girls will be further extended, increasing the age range from nine years to 18 years old in August and September 2026.
In 2025, 58,024 young girls between the ages of nine and 11 in Yangon Region were successfully vaccinated against cervical cancer.
The ministry provides routine vaccinations for children under one year old and pregnant women, tetanus-diphtheria vaccination for school-age children, cervical cancer vaccination for girls aged nine to 11, COVID-19 vaccination, oral cholera vaccine, tetanus vaccine, and rabies vaccine from birth to old age (Life Cycle Approach). The government is purchasing and providing 13 types of vaccines to the public at a cost of approximately US$10 million. — MT/ZN
