TNigeria don introduce di human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunization system on Tuesday for Abuja, with di aim to reach 7.7 million girls – di largest number for a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region – in a vaccination drive against di virus wey dey cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer.
Girls aged 9–14 years go receive single dose of the vaccine, wey dey highly effective to prevent infection with HPV types 16 and 18 wey dey cause at least 70% of cervical cancers.
For Nigeria, cervical cancer na di third most common cancer and di second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women between di age of 15 and 44 years. In 2020 – di kontri record 12,000 new cases and 8000 deaths from cervical cancer.
According by di Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhamad Ali Pate, 8000 people dey kpai every year from disease wey we fit prevent.
See as him talkam for plenty plenty grammar
“The loss of about 8000 Nigerian women yearly from a disease that is preventable is completely unacceptable,” says Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare. “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, and producing quality health outcomes and protecting the wellbeing of Nigerians are central to the Renewed Health Agenda of President Bola Ahmed 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 them 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 disrupt the preventable loss of lives to cervical cancer in addition to other untold hardship, loss, and pain.”
A five-day mass vaccination campaign for schools and communities go begin from 24th October wey be di launch of dis vaccine to 28th of October for inside 16 states plus di FCT. Dem go den include di vaccine for di routine immunization schedules for hospitals, dis na di first stage. Di second stage of di of the vaccination introduction go start in May 2024 inside 21 states.
Di vaccine na free and na di Federal Ministry of Health through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency with support from Gavi, di Vaccine Alliance, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners dey provide am.
With support from WHO country office for Nigeria and other partners, over 35 000 health workers don so receive training to take prepare for di campaign and di delivery of di vaccine to all hospitals.
Dem don also establish 4163 wards for di 16 states in di phase one rollout of di vaccine to make sure say dem no leave girls wey reach to collect di vaccine behind. Dem don also set up mobile vaccination units to reach remote communities with di vaccine.
According by Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, di WHO representative in Nigeria, dem dey committed to support ogbonge government to increase access of di HPV vaccine go reach women everywhere.
WHO yan say make di government include HPV vaccination in di national immunization programmes of kontris where cervical cancer na public health priority. As such Nigeria don prioritize di addition of the vaccine to di kontri’s routine immunization schedule.
