Nigeria vaccinates 18m girls against cervical cancer

The Nigerian government has administered immunizations to over 18 million adolescent girls to safeguard them against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which accounts for approximately 76% of the target population. This revelation was made by Dr Rufai Garba, the Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), during a policy roundtable in Abuja.

The gathering, organized by MSD in collaboration with Africa Health Business, aimed at hastening the elimination of cervical cancer via vaccination, screening, and treatment. Dr Garba highlighted that since the introduction of the HPV vaccine into Nigeria's national immunization program in October 2023, the country has achieved a coverage rate of 76% among its target demographic, with the actual number of immunized girls surpassing 18 million.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that vaccination alone is not sufficient to eradicate cervical cancer, underscoring the importance of bolstering screening, early diagnosis, and treatment measures. Initially, Nigeria aimed to vaccinate 7.7 million girls aged nine to 14 during the initial phase of the HPV vaccination program, with assistance from Gavi, UNICEF, WHO, and other partners.

Dr Garba further disclosed that the vaccine is provided free of charge to eligible girls at public health facilities, while school-based vaccination initiatives and outreach programs have been introduced to enhance accessibility. In Nigeria, there are roughly 12,000 new cervical cancer cases each year, resulting in approximately 8,000 women succumbing to the disease annually.

Vuyo Mjekula, MSD’s Director of External Affairs for Sub-Saharan Africa, called for increased involvement of the private sector in the battle against cervical cancer. She stressed that stronger alliances among government, healthcare providers, civil society, and private enterprises are essential to broaden vaccination, screening, and treatment initiatives.