Minister Darling Hernández Lies: Nicaragua Was Not the First Country to Apply the HPV Vaccine for Free
Minister Darling Hernández assured that Nicaragua was a pioneer in applying the HPV vaccine for free, but the reality is that until 2023, the vaccine was only applied privately. In reality, Nicaragua became the last Central American country to include it in the public system, while other countries in the region guaranteed its free application years earlier.
TL;DR
- Nicaragua's Minister of Youth, Darling Hernández, incorrectly stated that Nicaragua was the first country to provide the HPV vaccine free of charge.
- Nicaragua launched its first national HPV vaccination campaign in November 2023, targeting children aged 9-14, achieving a 99.8% coverage rate.
- Prior to this campaign, the HPV vaccine in Nicaragua was only available privately, costing between $120 and $150 per dose.
- Several other Central American countries had already implemented free HPV vaccination programs: Panama (2018), Belize and Honduras (2016), Guatemala (2018), Costa Rica (2019), and El Salvador (2020).
- Nicaragua was the last country in Central America to include the HPV vaccine in its public vaccination system.