Three weeks into the rollout of the cervical cancer prevention vaccine in Nigeria, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said that it has vaccinated over 3.9 million girls with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, and none of the girls experienced an adverse vaccination reaction across the 12 states involved in the exercise.
Disclosing this during a virtual discourse themed “Cervical Cancer and HPV vaccination: Matters Arising”, the Ag. Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Garba Rufai, said the vaccines were being well received despite concerns raised in certain quarters.
Rufai, who represented the Executive Director and CEO of the NPHCDA, Dr Muyi Aina, at the workshop organised by the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) with support from Marie Stopes International of Nigeria, said the agency would have vaccinated close to five million by the time vaccination starts in Kano.
“We have been able to start in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and we still have three states that we are yet to commence. In some of these states, they are almost running out of vaccines because they are being accepted in huge numbers.
“From these 12 states, we have almost vaccinated four million young girls. We are around 3.9 million plus, and by the end of today (Friday), we might be crossing the four million mark. By the time Kano State starts, we will have close to five million.
“In all of these numbers, we have not seen one serious adverse event following vaccination—AEFI, not one. It is remarkable to be able to put about four million needles into people, and none of the side effects, not even the early ones that we normally see, have happened.”
Dr Aina, who said there were initial gaps in information and communication about the vaccine, however, affirmed that the government was up to the task of ensuring that the exercise was successful.
Professor Rose Anorlu, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, stated in her presentation, Cervical Cancer: The Right Communication for Prevention” that the vaccination was to prevent the girls from having the HPV types that are known to cause at least 70 percent of cervical cancers.
Anorlu, also the head of the Oncology and Pathological Studies department at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, declared that the protection from the vaccine can last up to 20 years without a booster dose, although it is not yet known if the vaccine can give lifetime protection.
She, however, declared that cervical cancer screening has also been shown to reduce the rate of the disease, as it is aimed at detecting if there are any abnormal changes in the cells in the cervix.
“Screening is not for the detection of invasive cervical cancer; it is for the detection of pre-cancer of the cervix. Pre-cancer is easy to treat, and treatment gives an above 90 percent cure rate and prevents the development of invasive cervical cancer.”
Professor Oyewale Tomori, a renowned virologist and former Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, however, said Nigeria had not done enough to stem the tide of false information and misconceptions about the HPV vaccine.
Tomori, in his presentation titled “Vaccine Apathy: What Else to Do Differently,” said that the gaps in information on the vaccine gave the anti-vaccine group the opportunity to spread rumours and false information about the HPV vaccine around the country.
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