Bernard Urges Church to Drop HPV Vaccine Resistance

Health Minister Kevin Bernard is calling on the Catholic Church to rethink its opposition to the HPV vaccine, as tensions grow over vaccination efforts in church-run schools. Countering recent concerns, Bernard says the ministry follows strict protocols, including parental consent and clear public education. He stresses the vaccine is about protecting young girls from cervical cancer, not promoting risky behavior. The minister also points to a long-standing partnership between health teams and Catholic schools, urging church leaders, including Father Jordan, to continue working with the ministry in the interest of public health.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness

“While I respect the church’s point of view with respect to the letter I received from Father Jordan, very good friend of mine by the way. We at the ministry have a responsibility for the health of our nation. And I, and we are going to continue to ensure that we could promote and provide these essential vaccines, especially for young girls and young children that needs these vaccine. It’s about prevention. It’s not about promoting any form of promiscuity or so. It’s about preventing something from happening. And I think that I want to make that appeal to the churches and especially to our Catholic faith church based here in Belize for them to reconsider. And it’s been a long-standing process where we go to the schools as a ministry. We seek permission from parents as opposed to what was being said out there. Ministry of Health has a process that they follow. There’s education that comes with it. The parents are informed. We have been going to the schools, these very same Catholic schools before to provide vaccination support. So I make the appeal to Father Jordan publicly here today to reconsider the position. And I think that to work along with us to ensure that we can continue to protect and provide health support for people and citizens of this country.”

 

The Ministry of Health & Wellness has administered the HPV vaccine to over forty-six thousand standard four students across the country since 2016.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: