Cervical Cancer: Yobe Set For HPV Vaccine Campaign Tomorrow

The Yobe State Ministry of Health and the Yobe State Primary Health Care Board in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Board among other partners have concluded arrangements for the flagging-off of the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPVV) campaign for prevention against the dangerous killer disease, cervical cancer.

A statement issued by the chairman Yobe State Social Mobilization and Community Engagement who is also the director Information Services of the Ministry of Information, Alhaji Ali Musa Yawale said the exercise meant to cover the 17 local government areas of the state will be officially flagged-off at Government Girls College Damaturu by 10 o’clock in the morning.

The chairman said government and development partners have organised a series of sensitization, enlightenment and mobilization with a view to intimating the public on the importance of the vaccines and the purpose of selecting the cohorts of 9-14 female children.

“In the last few weeks, we were able to organize a series of training, advocacies, sensitization and enlightenment to stakeholders and people on the importance of the vaccine against the killer disease.

“Government and development partners were able to train local government Health Promotion Officers on the new vaccine while tradition and religious leaders, teachers among other stakeholders and the general public were engaged through various means especially radio with a view to achieving the desired objectives.

“This is very important because a study in 2020 across Nigeria said out of the 12, 000 new cases of HPV that causes certain types of cancers including cervical cancer, 8, 000 died indicating about 67% of the new cases.

“The Gardasil 4 vaccine manufactured by Merck & Co., is a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that protects against four HPV types; 6, 11, 16, and 18 and is being pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO). HPV types 16 and 18 are responsible for causing the majority of cervical, anal, oropharyngeal cancers, while HPV types 6 and 11 causes majority of genital warts.”

Yawale called on parents, guidance and caregivers to take the opportunity of the vaccine by preventing the ward against the killer disease.