Ogun Finalizes Arrangements for the Vaccination of Girls Aged Nine To 14 against Cervical Cancer

Ogun State government has finalized arrangements for the vaccination of girls aged nine to 14 against cervical cancer.

The free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, will be administered to the girls in the age category, between October 24 and 28, across the state.

Permanent Secretary in the information and strategy ministry, Waheed Ogunjobi, unveiled the programme, on Wednesday in Abeokuta, during the state youth influencers’ engagement on HPV vaccine into the routine immunization programmes in the state.

According to him, girls and women are more prone to the HPV, which has emerged as the leading cause of deaths among women in Nigeria.

The permanent secretary said the youth influencers present at the event, were expected to carry the information on the vaccine to the grassroots.

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According to him, they are to empower other youths with the knowledge of the HPV vaccine, dispel misconceptions about the vaccine, and propagate their life saving potential.

The social and behavioral change specialist of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) field office in Lagos, Aderonke Akinwole, said cervical cancer is a deadly disease, in which many women do not know they have.

Aderonke said the vaccine is limited to children of 9 to 14 in Ogun State, because at this age, they are not yet exposed to sex, and that most of them are suffering from the cancer, which their parents might not know until it get worsen.

She said between now and December 2024, the vaccine will be available at the primary health care centres but from January 2025, for girl child of age nine years alone.