The Ghana Health Service (GHS) yesterday began an intensified human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in schools nationwide to increase vaccine uptake among girls aged nine to 14.

The two-round campaign, which aims to protect eligible girls against cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases, is scheduled to run from October to December this year.

The first round, which began yesterday, Monday, October 19, will end on Friday, October 23, while the second round is scheduled for November 30 to December 4.

The exercise is being conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), through its School Health Education Programme (SHEP), and other partners.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said the nationwide exercise was intended to raise awareness of the HPV vaccine, increase uptake and ensure that all eligible girls who had not yet received the vaccines were protected.

"This initiative is intended to strengthen routine immunisation efforts and increase protection against cervical cancer and other diseases associated with HPV infection," he said.

According to Dr Akoriyea, health teams would visit schools across the country to administer the vaccines to eligible girls.