Nigeria, 16 others conducting effective HPV tests – WHO reveals

On Apr 3, 2024

The Technical Officer of Cancer Control at the WHO Africa Regional Office, Dr Sharon Kapambwe, has revealed that Nigeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, and Malawi have been listed as African countries carrying out high-performance-based Human Papillomavirus screening tests in line with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations. Other African countries on the list are Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Kapambwe disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday.

Kapambwe said, “Nigeria is one of the 28 member states that have introduced nationwide HPV vaccination to reach about 60 per cent of the priority population targeted with HPV vaccination.”

She disclosed that other countries on the list are “Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Sao Tome and Principe. Others are Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.”

The Federal Government introduced the Human Papillomavirus vaccine into the routine immunisation system on October 24, 2023. The vaccination targets over seven million girls, which is the largest number in a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, recently said over 4.95 million eligible girls aged nine to 14 years have been vaccinated against the HPV since the launch of the first phase of the vaccine in October 2023, across 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Pate said the second phase of the HPV vaccine introduction is scheduled for May 2024.

The vaccine is highly efficacious in preventing infection with HPV types 16 and 18, which are known to cause at least 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

PUNCH/Wumi