Merck Sharp and Dohme to assist Ugandan cervical cancer scheme

Merck Sharp and Dohme has announced plans to assist a cervical cancer vaccination programme in Uganda, as part of its commitment to improving global health.

The pharmaceutical company will donate 460,000 doses of Gardasil over two years to help the local ministry of health vaccinate approximately 140,000 eligible girls aged between nine and 13 across 12 districts.

Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer diagnosed among women in Uganda, with incidence rates of the condition about three times higher than the global average.

This will be the first step in a wider national rollout plan for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Uganda.

Colleen McGuffin, vice-president at Merck Vaccines, said: "The launch of this programme in Uganda is another important step in helping to support our goal of reducing the incidence of cervical cancer around the world."

This comes in the same month that Gardasil becomes the vaccine used by the Department of Health in its HPV vaccination programme.