The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken a significant step in enhancing public health by incorporating the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the routine immunization program.
This initiative, introduced on October 24, 2023, aims to safeguard the health of more than seven million girls, marking the most extensive single-round HPV vaccination campaign in the entire African region.
Girls aged between nine and 14 years will be administered a single dose of the HPV vaccine. This vaccine has demonstrated high effectiveness in preventing HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for at least 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.
In Nigeria, cervical cancer ranks the third most prevalent cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women aged 15 to 44. In 2020 alone, the country recorded 12,000 new cervical cancer cases, resulting in 8,000 deaths.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) statement indicates that a five-day mass vaccination campaign will occur in schools and communities as part of the inaugural rollout in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The vaccine will then be incorporated into routine immunisation schedules within health facilities. The second phase of the vaccination introduction is set to start in May 2024 in 21 states.
“The vaccine is being provided for free by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organisation, and other partners.
“With support from the WHO country office in Nigeria and other partners, over 35 000 health workers have so far been trained in preparation for the campaign and subsequent vaccine delivery in all health facilities.
“Vaccination sites have been established in all 4,163 wards across the 16 states included in the phase one rollout to ensure no eligible girl is left behind. Mobile vaccination units have also been set up to ensure that remote communities can access the vaccine,” the statement read in part.
Prof. Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, stressed the significance of preventing cervical cancer, emphasizing that losing 8,000 Nigerian women annually to a preventable disease is unacceptable.
“Cervical cancer is mostly caused by HPV, and parents can avoid physical and financial pain by protecting their children with a single dose of the vaccine. Saving lives, producing quality health outcomes, and protecting the well-being of Nigerians are central to the Renewed Health Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“The onset of the vaccination campaign is an opportunity to safeguard our girls from the scourge of cervical cancers many years into the future. As a parent myself, I have four daughters, all of whom have had the same HPV vaccine to protect them against cervical cancer. I’d like to implore fellow parents to dutifully ensure that this generation of our girls disrupts the preventable loss of lives to cervical cancer in addition to other untold hardship, loss, and pain,” Pate said.
Dr. Walter Mulombo, the WHO Representative in Nigeria, highlighted the importance of this moment in Nigeria’s efforts to combat cervical cancer, a disease that could be eliminated through vaccination. “This is a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s efforts to lower the burden of cervical cancer – one of the few cancers which can potentially be eliminated through vaccination,” he said. “We’re committed to supporting the government to increase access to the HPV vaccine to protect the health and well-being of the next generation of women.”
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