Rwanda, Merck and QIAGEN Launch Africa's First Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Prevention Program Incorporating Both HPV Vaccination and HPV Testing

The Government of Rwanda, together with QIAGEN N.V. QGEN and Merck MRK today announced the launch, in Kigali, Rwanda, of a comprehensive national cervical cancer prevention program that includes vaccination with GARDASIL for appropriate girls 12 to 15 years of age and modern molecular diagnostic screening for women between the ages of 35 and 45. Rwanda is the first nation in Africa to offer a comprehensive prevention program that incorporates both HPV vaccination and HPV testing. Rwanda has a population of 2.72 million women ages 15 years and older. Cervical cancer ranks as the most frequent cancer in women of all ages in Rwanda.