The United Nations Children’s Fund has said it is targeting vaccinating 90 per cent of Nigerian girls, aged nine to 14 against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection by December 2024. To this end, UNICEF said the second phase of the HPV vaccination of teenage girls would commence in other SouthWest states of Ekiti, Ondo and Oyo as well as Edo on May 27. UNICEF cleared the air about misinformation, rumours, misconceptions and myths surrounding HPV vaccination of girls across the country, insisting that the vaccine remains the most effective way of preventing cervical cancer among girls and women.
UNICEF health specialist at the Lagos field office, Dr Ijeoma Agbo, disclosed this at a two-day media dialogue tagged, “Combating The Most Preventable Form Of Deadly Cancer Affecting Women and Girls Through Vaccination”, ahead of the flag-off. According to Agbo, the vaccination recorded over 50 per cent success rate during the first phase which commenced in Ogun, Lagos, Osun and some Northern last year. Agbo attributed the high burden of cervical cancer to poor access to HPV vaccination services, poor screening and treatment as well as low awareness among others.
She called on parents and guidance to make their teenage girls available for vaccination. She said: “We are hoping to achieve at least 90 per cent vaccination target when it comes to HPV vaccination. “If you look at the country, we will say we did well because if you look at the coverage, it is about 50-something per .
