The Federal Government is set to commence the vaccination of young girls with over six million doses of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) vaccine to fight against the burden of cervical cancer.
The government says the immunisation of girls at an early age, is to shield them from the most common HPV strains responsible for cervical cancer later in life.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Dr Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director/CEO National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye hinted that on October 24th, 2023, government will commence the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for girls aged 9 to 14 in Nigeria.
HE said the introduction of the HPV vaccine is not just a medical advancement but a leap in our mission to protect the health and aspirations of our young girls.
”It empowers them to lead healthy lives and become formidable women and mothers.
The ”Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection and has been a silent harbinger of several types of cancers, including cervical cancer.
”Tragically, cervical cancer stands as the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria, and the second most common cause of cancer-related fatalities among women aged 15 to 49 years.
”Nigeria alone contributes an estimated 12,075 new cases of global cervical cancer annually. HPV infection has been identified as a high-risk factor, implicated in 95% of cervical cancer cases. With 12,000 new diagnoses and 8,000 lives claimed each year, it translates to 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22 deaths every day in our nation”.