Adebayo Adenrele
The Ekiti state government has revealed that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to commence vaccination of female children in the state against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causing cervical cancer.
According to the Director General of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Gilbert Seluwa, the vaccination exercise would begin on Monday 27th May, 2024.
Seluwa said this in Ado-Ekiti during a coordinating meeting with relevant Stakeholders on Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine Introduction for girl child between the ages of 9-14years .
The Director General who was represented by the State Health Educator, Mrs. Olajumoke Oguntoye stated that “the vaccination campaign exercise would run for 5 days, between 27th – 31st May, 2024,” adding that “all healthcare facilities in the State would be opened and all their teams would be available across the State to vaccinate all the children that falls in the required category.”
He noted that the HPV vaccine would be administered in primary health care facilities, schools, religious centres and communities across the State.
Dr. Seluwa outlined the critical role of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer, emphasizing that the vaccine is a preventive measure and not an endorsement of early sexual activity.
The DG added that the vaccine would prevent infections from all types of human papilloma virus that commonly caused cervical cancer and other types of HPV related cancers including cancers of the vulva, vagina and genital warts.
In his goodwill message, the representative of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mr. Oluwadamilare Alabi who underscored the importance of stakeholders in the success of the programme, urged them “to fulfill their roles, especially in mobilization and sensitization efforts to educate parents on the importance of allowing their children to take the vaccine.”
He charged the stakeholders to report any rumour concerning the vaccine within their immediate community to the Health Educators, as there has been a history of unnecessary stories fabricated by many social media influencers about new vaccines.
Present at the event were the UNICEF representative, Mr Jimoh Adebisi, State Immunization Officer, Mrs. Omolabake Ogundola, representative of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Mr. Bala Mohammed and top government officials from the Agency