Nigeria Expands HPV Vaccine Campaign to Fight Cervical Cancer
In a significant move to combat cervical cancer, Nigeria has extended its Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign across the country. The vaccine, introduced as part of the routine immunization program in October last year, has now been made available in a majority of Nigerian states.
Health workers in Oyo state, located in the southwestern region of the country, are actively engaged in a drive to raise awareness about the vaccine in local communities. Ramotalai Awoniran, a resident of Oyo state, expressed her support for the initiative, stating, "We have heard about cervical cancer before now, and we are aware of the disease it creates, that’s why I asked my daughter to go get vaccinated as a preventive measure."
Cervical cancer ranks as the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women aged 15 to 44, according to the United Nations. In 2020 alone, the country recorded 12,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths from cervical cancer.
Unlike previous vaccination campaigns in Nigeria, the HPV vaccine initiative faces unique challenges, including linguistic diversity and underfunded primary healthcare centers. However, authorities have been proactive in addressing these obstacles by conducting extensive online and offline campaigns to educate citizens about the vaccine's safety and efficacy.
Lagbenro Arinlade-Ayoade, the primary healthcare coordinator in Oyo-West, emphasized the importance of dispelling misinformation surrounding the vaccine, stating, "There are some rumors going around that they want to reduce the fertility of the girls, but we have been educating the parents that this vaccine is safe, the only thing it does is it prevents cervical cancer."
While the HPV vaccine has been widely used in developed nations for nearly two decades, its adoption in Africa has been relatively slow, with only half of the continent's countries incorporating it into their immunization programs. This is despite Africa bearing a significant burden of cervical cancer cases, accounting for one in five deaths globally in 2020, with 100,000 new cases and 70,000 deaths recorded on the continent.
Nigeria's nationwide rollout of the HPV vaccine represents a crucial step in addressing the pressing public health challenge posed by cervical cancer in the country and across the African continent.
