PEOPLES GAZETTE
Nigeria has introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its immunisation programme with the aim of vaccinating 7.7 million girls—the largest number of girls in Africa to receive a single HPV vaccination round.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the donors stated that their efforts are aimed at fighting the virus responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer.
According to the report, girls aged 9–14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which is highly effective in preventing infection with HPV types 16 and 18, known to cause at least 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
The international organisation stated that the first phase of the vaccination programme will commence in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory, including a five-day mass immunisation campaign in schools and communities. The vaccine will subsequently be integrated into regular immunisation schedules in healthcare facilities. The second phase of vaccination introduction is set to begin in May 2024 in 21 states.
According to the statement, over 16 million girls in Nigeria alone could be protected with the injections by 2025.
In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged 15 to 44 years. In 2020—the latest year for which data is available—the country recorded 12,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths from cervical cancer.
In his remarks, Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the increasing death toll of Nigerian women, approximately 8,000 yearly, is preventable.
“The loss of about 8,000 Nigerian women yearly from a preventable disease is completely unacceptable,” Mr Pate was quoted as saying in the statement…
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