Bauchi State: Over 461,592 girls receive HPV vaccine

Over 461,592 girls in Bauchi state have received the nationwide HPV vaccine to protect them against cervical cancer.

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The Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, disclosed that, it achieved 72 per cent coverage during the October round immunisation exercise conducted in schools and communities across the 20 local government areas of the state.

The Spokesman of the agency, Mr Ibrahim Sani, said the state has been adjudged among the three HPV rollout best-performing states in Nigeria.

He noted that the state targeted 638,185 girls for immunisation against the disease, adding that the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency supplied 468,400 doses of HPV vaccine to facilitate the smooth conduct of the exercise.

Sani revealed that the agency implemented an HPV vaccine data bank and created three zones to simplify the monitoring process during the vaccination exercise.

He explained, “The summarised situational data report on HPV coverage by age group, revealed that 135,615 girls aged 9 years old received HPV vaccine, representing 21 per cent of the total identified group and 324,977 between the ages of 10 and 14 years, representing 51 per cent.

“This put the current percentage of the state total coverage at 72 per cent, while the total number of uncovered population stood at 28 per cent, respectively.

“Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths among women aged between 15 and 44 years,” he said.

Sani also identified insecurity, shortage of vaccines, late submission of daily call-in data and noncompliance as some of the challenges experienced during the exercise.

He explained that the exercise is being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organisation and other development partners.

While applauding the FG and Bauchi State for the initiative, a cancer survivor, Mrs Easter Simon and Mrs Diana Joshua, advised parents to make their children available for HPV vaccination to protect them against the disease.