FG TARGETS 6 MILLION GIRLS TO BENEFIT 6 MILLION DOSES OF GARDASIL HPV 17-10-23 By Sadiq Aminu The Federal Government says it targets about 6millions girls aged 9 – 14 years with over 6million doses of Gardasil HPV vaccine and essential supplies under the first phase of HPV vaccination in the country.
The vaccination is said to be key as Nigeria alone contributes an estimated 12,000 new cases of global cervical cancer and 8 thousand deaths annually.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Faisal Shuaib who stated this in Abuja, at a join briefing with NAFDAC,explained that this 12 thousand new cases and 8 thousand deaths each year,
Translates to 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22deaths everyday in Nigeria.
Dr Shuaib noted that the vaccine was not just a medical advancement but a move to protect the health of our young girls to live a productive and meaningful life.
According to the ED of NPHCDA, the objective is to ensure 90% of young girls receive complete HPV vaccination by the age of 15, 70% of women undergo screening at both 35 and 45 years of age while 90 % of women identified with precancerous conditions recieve appropriate treatment.
He said HPV is a commonly transmitted infectection that is a silent harbinger of several types of cancers including cervical cancer hence the need to roll out the vaccine to protect Nigerian Children.
“Cervical cancer stands as the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria and the second most common cause of cancer related fatalities among women aged 15 to 49 years.
HPV infection has been identified as a high risk factor implicated in 95% of cervical cancer cases.
In Nigeria, one precious life is lost everyday 2minutes to this preventable disease. Regrettably this disease runs among leading causes of cancer related deaths in 36 countries including Nigeria. This is why the introduction of the HPV Vaccine is a beacon of hope in our relentless fight against the burden of cervical cancer”
Dr Shuaibu explained that immunisation of girls at early age helps to heal them from the most common HPV strains responsible for cervical cancer.
and that the HPV vaccine has been scientifically proven to be safe and effective in preventing HPV infection and reducing the risk of cervical cancer in girls.
“Am delighted to stand here with the DG of NAFDAC and our partners and donors to share that this vaccine will be provided free of charge to all eligible girls in Nigeria commencing on Oct, 24, 2023.
Many countries both in the western and African regions have already integrated these vaccine into their immunisation schedule. The proactive introduction of the HPV vaccine in Senegal in 2018
resulted in a remarkable 90% reduction in cervical abnormalities among vaccinated women, demonstrating the vaccines undeniable effectiveness. Similarlarly in Ghana’ s commitment to vaccinating against HPV, he has achieved an impressive coverage of 99.5% and 94.7% among eligible girls
However while vaccination is the most potent prevention measure against the HPV, we strongly encourage women to always go for screening for early detection and early treatment”””
The ED therefore called on parents, care givers and guardians to make their daughters available for the vaccination within commences next week.
Also in her briefing, the Director General of Nafdac, Prof Mojishola Adeyeye gave the approval of the Vaccine to be used for cervical cancer vaccination
“Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV).
Gardasil has been granted registration approval by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
after rigorous regulatory evaluation process for vaccines.
NAFDAC is in support of this decision as data from immunogenicity trials, among females have demonstrated that a single dose of HPV vaccine is sufficient to elicit an immune response that provides similar protection as a multidose regimen against initial and persistent HPV infection”””
Also the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has recently updated its recommendations on HPV vaccination schedule and has advised that a single dose schedule can be used for girls aged 9-14 years and young women aged 15-20 years, instead of the previous two or three-dose schedules.
One of the benefits of the single dose approach include:
Reducing the cost and logistical challenges of delivering multiple doses, especially in resource-limited settings.
Prof Adeyeye promised that in line with its mandate to protect Public Health, NAFDAC is committed to ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy of the Gardasil vaccine, and will continue to monitor its impact and performance in Nigeria.
Both UNICEF and WHO described the roll of the vaccine as a great milestone, and called on the media to dispell rumours and misinformation that might affect the exercise.