THE Region Nine Department of Health has announced three winners after the launch of an essay writing competition for primary and secondary school students as part of their activities to mark the 2023 Vaccination Week.

The winners were identified as Grade Six pupils of Moco Moco Primary School. They are: Gabriella Cassiano with the topic, “The importance of increasing HPV vaccination in Children”; Grade One Science student Jerome Taylor of Annai Secondary School with the topic, “The use of vaccines – A choice for everyone”; and Grade Two Business student Quinn Allicock of Annai Secondary school with the topic, “Vaccines: Myths and Misconceptions in Adults”.

The initiative aims to increase awareness about vaccines and encourage students to champion the vaccination campaign through research.
Students were required to submit their essays by noon on April 24, 2023, and they were allowed to choose any reference style. The winners of the competition will receive a variety of prizes including laptops, tablets, laptop sleeves, and flash drives.

Secondary school students chose from four topics, including the use of vaccines, the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing illnesses and infections, myths and misconceptions about vaccines in adults, and whether or not vaccines should be mandatory. Essays were between 2,000 and 3,000 words long.

Primary school students chose from four topics, including the importance of increasing HPV vaccination in children, an argument in favor of using vaccines, whether vaccination should be mandatory to guarantee future safety for children, and the importance of the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) in their country. Essays were between 500 and 800 words long.

Essays were submitted as hard copies or typed documents, and no marks were deducted for the format chosen. The competition is expected to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines and encourage students to research and become advocates for the vaccination campaign.