Parental resistance derails HPV vaccination drive
Namibia's drive to protect girls against cervical cancer through HPV vaccination has run into resistance from parents, whose misgivings are fuelled by false claims about the vaccine's safety and myths that it could encourage early sexual activity or cause infertility.
The health ministry has confirmed that only 79 093 of the roughly 232 000 girls targeted in the 2025 HPV campaign had been vaccinated by June 2026, translating to 34% coverage among girls aged nine to 14, well short of the global target of 90% coverage by age 15 by 2030.
Health ministry spokesperson Walters Kamaya said parental resistance has been one of the biggest obstacles to the campaign.
“[Challenges include] misinformation, claiming that the vaccine is unsafe or that vaccinating girls against HPV could encourage early sexual activity. Other challenges include delayed or incomplete parental consent,” he said.
Kamaya said parents should know that the HPV vaccine is a cancer-prevention vaccine and works best when given before a girl is exposed to HPV.
“It does not cause infertility and does not encourage sexual activity,” he stressed. The side effects, he added, are mild and temporary, such as pain at the injection site, headache, dizziness or a low-grade fever, while serious adverse reactions are rare.
Kamaya said 76 883 girls were vaccinated during the first two weeks of the campaign, with the number increasing to 79 093 by June 2026.
He added, however, that these are not the final figures, as the ministry is currently validating the national and regional results.
Kamaya said some parents initially refused vaccination because of false claims about the safety of the vaccine, but, after speaking to health workers, "changed their minds".
Other challenges include limited knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer, as well as difficulties reaching girls who were absent from school, out of school or living in remote communities.
Campaign continues
Vaccination will continue through public health facilities and school-based catch-up activities, Kamaya confirmed.
The ministry is also using community mobilisation, parent information sessions and trained health workers to address concerns.
“Communication is being taken to communities through local-language radio programmes, schools, traditional and faith leaders and community health workers,” Kamaya said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has supported the campaign through planning, logistics, supervision, communication materials, media monitoring and training.
While the HPV vaccine is aimed at preventing cervical cancer in future generations, Kamaya stressed that vaccination alone will not eliminate the disease.
“Women who have already been exposed to HPV still need regular screening because the vaccine does not treat an existing HPV infection, precancerous lesions or cancer,” he said.
Namibia introduced its screen-and-treat cervical cancer programme in 2018, initially integrating visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and treatment into HIV services.
Kamaya said the country is now expanding HPV DNA testing, which the ministry says is a more sensitive primary screening method.
But the number of women actually being screened each year remains unclear.
Kamaya said there is currently no consolidated national figure covering women screened annually across all public health facilities.
The most recent widely reported figure shows that 138 992 screening procedures were conducted between the introduction of the national programme in 2018 and January 2024.
“This figure represents 138 992 individual women, since some women may have undergone repeat or follow-up screening,” Kamaya said.
For comparison, earlier programme data recorded 14 786 VIA screenings across seven regions between October 2018 and March 2020.
The 90-70-90 target
Kamaya said Namibia’s progress is being measured against WHO’s 90-70-90 targets for cervical cancer elimination by 2030.
The targets require 90% of girls to be fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15, 70% of women to be screened using a high-performance test by age 35 and again by age 45, and 90% of women identified with cervical disease to receive appropriate treatment.
Kamaya said women with eligible precancerous lesions may receive same-day treatment through thermal ablation or cryotherapy, while others may require other treatments.
“Women with suspected or confirmed invasive cancer should be linked to pathology, surgery, oncology, radiotherapy, palliative care and follow-up services,” he said.
Kamaya said the ministry also wants to link immunisation, screening, pathology, treatment and cancer-registry information to better measure whether vaccination and screening are ultimately reducing cervical cancer cases and deaths.
Kamaya urged women not to wait for symptoms before getting screened, saying precancerous changes of the cervix often cause no symptoms, meaning screening can detect them before they develop into cancer.
“Women living with HIV face a higher risk and may require more frequent screening,” he said.
