- Nigeria aims to vaccinate girls against HPV, the virus causing most cervical cancers, integrating the vaccine into school health programs
- The program seeks to reach both in-school and out-of-school girls, partnering with agencies to ensure comprehensive coverage
The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment has unveiled plans to develop a vaccination model targeting out-of-school girls to protect them against cervical cancer.
The agency’s Director-General, Professor Usman Aliyu, announced this on Monday while launching the integration of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the school health programme in Sokoto.
Aliyu noted that cervical and other cancers are on the rise globally, causing significant loss of lives and resources.
“In response to this, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Health to integrate the cervical cancer vaccine into the school health programme. The objective is to vaccinate girls at an early age,” he said.
He revealed that the first phase of the vaccination campaign achieved 80% coverage, while the ongoing second phase across all six geopolitical zones aims to reach the remaining 20% of eligible girls.
“We are also working on a programme to vaccinate out-of-school children. We have engaged agencies overseeing Almajiri education and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to design an effective model for reaching them,” he added.
Aliyu urged school administrators and parents to support the initiative, emphasizing the government’s substantial financial commitment to procuring the vaccines.
Commending the programme, the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Umar Sani, said the initiative would significantly reduce cervical cancer cases in Sokoto State.