:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/QW33HLYYDJFZPDEU46OVIOFQVE.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Ombudsman urges Minedu and Minsa to promote vaccination against COVID-19 and HPV")
The Ombudsman’s Office has urged the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health to promote vaccination against COVID-19 and human papillomavirus (HPV) in the entire school population. They have pointed out that as a result of the two years of pandemic, in which schools were closed, the number of children and adolescents vaccinated with non-Covid vaccines has dropped greatly.
Renzo Deza, deputy state administration of the Ombudsman, indicated that the entity has already been warning, both the Education and Health sectors, of some delays in the process of vaccinating minors.
“In the case of the Education sector, what has been noticed, with official figures from the Ministry of Health, is that approximately one in four basic education students are not vaccinated against COVID-19. Likewise, in general, a delay has been noticed in the general vaccination processes for children and adolescents, and in particular in the case of girls and adolescents against the human papilloma virus”he told TV Peru.
As to the HPV vaccine for girls and adolescents, the representative of the Ombudsman pointed out that so far only 47,000 minors have been vaccinated. This represents only the 37% of what was achieved last yearwhere 124,000 girls and adolescents were vaccinated against this disease.
“Obviously, these figures are worrying for two main reasons: because there is a danger of affecting the rights to life and health of students and also because we are in a new stage in which the educational service is obviously preferential. That children and adolescents are not properly vaccinated, with full doses, can endanger all members of the educational community “he explained.
Similarly, Deza explained that one of the main reasons why progress has not been made as expected, with the vaccination of various diseases, is that During the two years of the pandemic, schools were closed.. Before, minors used to be vaccinated in their educational institutions, which guaranteed a much broader coverage.
“However, the Ombudsman called (attention to the Ministry of Health) at that time because the Minsa did not apply alternative strategies so as not to have to drastically lower the vaccination goal. There was a drastic decline between the year 2020 and the year 2021″, he pointed out.
In the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, he pointed out that the decrease in vaccination of the general population, which was presented in the first quarter of the year 2022could also have influenced that the immunization of the smallest is greatly reduced.
“I think this phenomenon dragged children and adolescents. For that reason we are concerned about this level of progress”he reiterated.
Renzo Deza pointed out that in February and March the Ombudsman’s Office carried out an inspection in schools. National audiences to observe some. Some problems and that would make it difficult to return to eye classes. This happened before the Ministry of Education changed the rule to provide for the return to presence with full capacity.
At that time, the entity had already prevented a problem in immunizations and was already recommending that the sector speed up this process.
“Comparative experience information was transferred. For example in Ecuador, Colombia and Chile All the regulations of the Ministries of Education established the return with full capacity, but conditioned to one detail: exceed or reach 75-80% of the school population with full doses. As of today, with more updated data, only 64% of the school population has received two doses of vaccination against COVID (in Peru)”he expressed.
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