The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a targeted awareness campaign in Osun State to promote the uptake of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine among nine-year-old girls.
Ngozi Izuora-Songu, UNICEF’s Adolescent Development Specialist, disclosed this over the weekend during a two-day workshop aimed at sensitising the media and key stakeholders on the initiative.
According to Izuora-Songu, the campaign focuses on five local government areas where vaccine uptake has been notably low.
She stressed that the initiative is essential to reversing poor response rates and ensuring that eligible girls are protected from cervical cancer.
“We are here in Osun State because we discovered that in some local government areas, the uptake of the HPV vaccine is low—especially among nine-year-olds,” she said.
“This workshop is our first step in re-strategising the vaccination drive to ensure better performance and sustained momentum.”
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She noted that the vaccination effort targets nine-year-old girls as a proactive step to prevent cervical cancer, which ranks second only to breast cancer among the most common cancers affecting women in Nigeria.
Izuora-Songu appealed to parents to allow their daughters to receive the vaccine, stating that it could safeguard their future from a preventable disease.
In support of the campaign, Aderonke Akinola-Akinwole, UNICEF’s Social and Behavioural Change Specialist, emphasised the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing cervical cancer when administered early.
“This is not just a health intervention—it is a fundamental right of the girl child,” she asserted.
“My role is to ensure that all stakeholders and beneficiaries understand and access this life-saving vaccine.”
Akinola-Akinwole also addressed prevailing myths and misinformation surrounding the vaccine, urging parents to disregard unfounded rumours about safety and infertility.
“Some believe the vaccine causes infertility, others worry it’s a population control tool. But these are baseless falsehoods,” she said.
“We urge parents to envision a future where their daughters are free from cervical cancer and empowered to pursue their dreams.”
The HPV vaccine campaign is part of UNICEF’s broader mission to advance adolescent health and uphold the rights of children—particularly girls—through preventive healthcare and accurate public education.