Nigeria begins mass HPV vaccinations to fight cervical cancer

Girls aged between 9 and 14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which is highly efficacious in preventing infection with HPV types 16 and 18 that are known to cause at least 70 percent of cervical cancers.

In Nigeria, 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. In 2020, the last year for which data is available, the country recorded 12,000 new cases and 8,000 deaths from cervical cancer.

“The loss of about 8,000 Nigerian women yearly from a disease that is preventable is completely unacceptable,”  Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health & Social Welfare said.

A five-day mass vaccination campaign in schools and communities will be carried out during the inaugural rollout in 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The vaccine will then be incorporated in routine immunization schedules within health facilities.

The second phase of the vaccination introduction is set to start in May 2024 in 21 states.