Human papillomavirus vaccination in view of the National Cancer Control Plan 2020-2029 in Morocco

Abstract

In Morocco, cervical cancer represents a major public health problem. It ranks second, after breast cancer in Moroccan women, in terms of incidence and mortality. Each year, more than 3,300 new cases and nearly 2,500 deaths are recorded. A Moroccan national program to fight against cervical cancer (CC) based on the practice of visual inspection after application of acetic acid was set up in 2010, allowing screening and possibly of immediate treatment of premalignant lesions of the cervix. In September 2022, a partnership circular between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS) and the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports was launched. it announces that the MSPS will integrate the HPV vaccine using the quadrivalent vaccine into the Moroccan National Immune Program (PNI), the vaccination will be aimed to 11-year-old girls, mainly those in school, who will receive two doses separated by at least a period of 6 months.