The Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiative (ideSHi) has launched the “School-Based HPV Infection, Vaccination, and Cervical Cancer Awareness Program”. Today, the inaugural event of this awareness-building initiative took place at BCIC School and Al-Nahian High School in Mirpur, Dhaka. The event was attended by esteemed guests, including Dr. Firdausi Qadri, award-winning scientist and recipient of Bangladesh’s Independence Award 2023, and Dr. Tajul Islam A Bari, former Project Manager of the government’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), along with teachers and students from both schools.
Dr. Firdausi Qadri, the lead of the Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiative (ideSHi), provided detailed information about the symptoms of cervical cancer, the at-risk population, what HPV vaccines are, their potential benefits, and guidance for parents and teachers. She emphasized the importance of open communication with mothers or sisters and young girls to address female reproductive health issues and encouraged seeking medical advice without hiding any problems. Dr. Tajul Islam A Bari, former EPI Project Manager, explained how we can access the vaccines, when vaccination will commence, and how to register for them. Avinindranath Baidya, the Principal of BCIC College, expressed his gratitude to the ideSHi team and encouraged students to get vaccinated. Other teachers also inspired the students to take the vaccine and encouraged parents to support them.
Through active student participation, young girls learned a lot about cervical cancer that they might not have known otherwise. ideSHi’s goal is to present information about HPV vaccination in a relevant, accessible, and simple manner, dispelling misconceptions and increasing awareness about the risks and benefits of HPV vaccination.
