THE Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has told parents to ensure their young girls between ages 9 and 14 years receive a dose of the HPV vaccination before the end of December, the expiration time for free HPV vaccination for young girls older than 9 years.
PAN’s Treasurer, Dr Beatrice Ezenwa, gave the charge at a one-day sensitisation programme on the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for nursing mothers and pregnant women at the vaccination clinic of the Primary Health Care Apere in Ibadan, organised by the Paediatric Association of Nigeria with support from the International Peadatric Association.
Ezenwe, a consultant paediatrician at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, said they shouldn’t renege on ensuring that all girls take the vaccine as a preventive step against HPV, an important cause for cervical cancer in women, in the future.
She declared, “Unfortunately, you wouldn’t know who is going to get it. It’s towards the time when one is old that the cancer will come up for those who have it. But we have an opportunity to prevent it for our girls now.
“Before, people used to say that they were not aware of this vaccine. But now the government has helped us to bring it so that everybody can have access to it. I hope that when you go back home, you can encourage people with young girls who are 9 years to 14 years to give them this immunisation.
“As doctors who look after children’s health, we are very passionate about the health of our children, and immunisation is an important preventive measure that we are very aware of. Our children are very important to us, and we feel this is an opportunity no child must miss.
“If you have a healthy child, you are likely going to have a healthy adult. We want to equip them now with these vaccines that are available so that they can become healthier adults later on.”
Dr Foluso Balogun, also a peadiatrician and immunisation champion, stated that the idea of awareness creation on HPV vaccination among nursing and pregnant mothers is ensuring that young girls are safe from developing cervical cancer in the future.
She added, “Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women in Nigeria. It’s so rampant, and it’s estimated that every hour a woman in Nigeria dies from cervical cancer. That means every day, 24 women die from cervical cancer.
“But the HPV vaccine is highly effective, and it protects. In fact, one of the Western countries that started the vaccination about 28 years ago this year announced that not a single one of all the cohorts of girls that were immunised then with the HPV vaccine has come down with cervical cancer. And it’s to show us that it’s highly effective, and if our women are dying, if we can prevent it, why not?
“We are here to let them know and also to answer all their numerous questions. It is a new vaccine, so definitely there will be questions. The vaccine is now part of the routine immunisation schedule; they can get it in the public health centres. Just a single dose is enough to protect.”
Earlier, Mrs Funmilayo Abodunrin, the reproductive health coordinator for Oyo State, said the PHC Apete was chosen because of its large patronage for vaccination and the need for women to know more about the HPV vaccine and its importance for their young girls when they are 9 years old.
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