Tanzania, April 23 -- Dar es Salaam. Over five million girls are targeted in Tanzania as vaccination campaign against cervical cancer started amid fears and rumours about the shot.

On Monday, Tanzania in partnership with the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) rolled out the vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) - the leading cause of cervical cancer.

The national multi-age cohort (MAC) vaccination campaign which is targeting girls aged 9-14 years, will run from Monday, 22 April, to Friday, 26 April 2024, the agencies said in a joint statement.

While cervical cancer remains a significant cause of death among women in Tanzania, with more than 10,800 cases and 6,800 deaths in 2022 alone, i...