The Nasarawa State government said it would soon commence vaccination against Human papillomavirus (HPV) among girls between the ages of nine and 14.
HPV is a commonly transmitted infection that can lead to various health issues, including cervical, anal and oropharyngeal cancers.
During the stakeholders’ engagement ahead of the exercise in Lafia, the state capital, the Executive Secretary of the state Primary Health Care Development Agency (NAPHDA), Dr. Muhammed Usman Adiz, said that immunisation would help reduce the burden on the healthcare system, spare women from unnecessary suffering, and ultimately save lives.
He said Nasarawa is among the first 16 states selected by the federal government for the programme, adding 10 other states would partake later.
Represented by the Deputy Director/Programme Manager of the state Emergency Routine Immunisation Coordination Centre of the agency, Ayuba Ismaila Oko, the Executive Secretary said that, after the first batch of vaccination targeting young girls between age nine and 14, the exercise would be part of the usual routine for those within the age of nine only.
He said the exercise, which begins on 25th September 2023, would last for seven days, even as he said that by 2030, 90 per cent of girls within the age bracket should be fully vaccinated.
The Federal Government said recently that the HPV vaccine would be included in the country’s immunisation schedule.
It had said the introduction of HPV vaccines into the immunization schedule signified the federal government’s commitment to promoting preventive healthcare and empowering the young generation, to live healthier lives.
Adiz said with the vaccines, cervical cancer is preventable, adding that with sustained screening of women who are between 30 and 65 years, the disease can be totally eradicated.
He urged the parents to avail their children between the ages of nine and 14 to receive the vaccine.
He thanked the federal government for including the state in the first batch of the vaccination exercise.
