HPV: Lagos Pact With Pathfinder, Expands Vaccination For Every Girlchild To Receive Jab

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Hosts Townhall Meeting, Urges Community Leaders, Others To Champion Immunisation Campaign Lagos State with support from Pathfinder International and other partners has expanded its Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination project just as it urged com­munity and religious leaders to ensure that every girlchild receives the jab during a townhall meeting. The expansion of the HPV vaccina­tion through the Lagos State Primary Health Board (PHCB) aligns with the Federal Government plan to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate of cervical cancer in the country. The renewed exercise which is free and in partnership with Gates Founda­tion and Pathfinder International tar­gets girls between the ages of 9-14 years and will be carried out in all the Local Government Areas of the state.



Speaking during the Town Hall meeting at Colossus Hotel, Ikeja, Mrs. Grace Adesola Honfor, Director of Health Education and Health Services, Lagos State PHCB, advised parents to avoid negative stereotypes about the vaccine, stressing, “It is effective with no side effects.” She announced that the vaccination is already ongoing in ten Local Govern­ment Areas of the state stating that it was first carried out in the state in Octo­ber 2023 to 2024 but was put on hold due to shortage of vaccines, but was quick to add that the state has taken delivery of enough vaccines from international partners.

Honfor, further explained that the vaccines are available in all the public hospitals, primary health centres and some select private hospitals with ad­vice to parents to avail themselves of the opportunity and have their girls vaccinated against the deadly disease in any of the health facilities. Giving a general overview of the virus, Dr. Adetola Akinpelu, State Im­munisation Programme Coordinator, described cervical cancer as the most common cancer among women after breast cancer as well as the most com­mon sexually transmitted infection.

He noted that the virus belongs to the Papilloma family with over ten stereo­types identified between 16, 18, 31,35, 51and 52 with 16-18 stereotypes responsi­ble for 66.9 percent of cervical cancer in Nigeria. According to the medical expert, HPV infections can cause wide range of diseases such as genital warts, cer­vical cancer and other types of cancer.

He further identified HPV infections to include lesions, pama, a skin disorder that causes intensive itching, bleeding, difficulty in swallowing etc depending on the location of the cancer. This is just as Akinpelu described HPV as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria as well as the second common­est cancer related death among women after breast cancer. The State Immunisation Pro­gramme Coordinator advocated for early screening and vaccination as the best cure for the dreaded disease.

Fol­lowing the need to reduce morbidity and mortality of cancer, he said that the Federal Government in collaboration with foreign partners, introduced the HPV vaccines to adolescent girls aged 9-14 years as a primary prevention strat­egy to curb the disease spread. According to him, available data, indicates that the incidence of cervical cancer in Nigeria is about 33 cases per 100,000 persons and that about 14,083 new cases are dictated in the country every year. Giving a breakdown of the exercise when it was first introduced in the state, he explained that in 2023, the campaign ran for seven days and was followed by a mop up operation which lasted for 17 days with 456,810 girls vaccinated.

In January 2024, a total of 60,586 girls were vaccinated before the vaccines were ex­hausted, Akinpelu added. He also explained that the total number of the girlchild vaccinated in the state from October 2023 to February, 2025 stands at 680, 949 but expressed hope that more girls will be vaccinated before the end of the exercise this year. Dr.

Akinpelu lamented the attitude of some parents who paint negative pic­tures about the vaccines; advising them not to entertain any fear as the vaccines are safe. He debunked the claims that the vac­cine is meant to reduce the population of third world countries as being insin­uated by some uninformed persons. But, he said, it is meant to protect the girlchild from HPV, and enable her live a healthy, successful as well as happy life.

In her remarks, Prof Ekanem Ekure of Pediatrics Association of Nigeria, ex­pressed regrets that the vaccination rate against killer diseases in Lagos state is little above 30 percent despite that Lagos State is doing well in healthcare. She challenged community, religious leaders and different women groups to rise to the occasion and sensitise citi­zens on the need to take the HPV vac­cine. Dr.

Fumi Ige, President of Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, submitted that everybody has a role to play in ensuring that cervi­cal cancer is eradicated in the country She posited that the decision to get girls between the ages of 9-14 vaccinated is to catch them young before they are sexually active, noting that her associa­tion is working towards making it a part of routine vaccination children take. In their separate remarks, Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi Director of Pathfinder International and Dr.

Mojisola Odeku said they are happy that Pathfinder is partnering the government to ensure a healthy living for the citizens. They noted that the HPV vaccine must be embraced by all adolescent girls to protect them from cervical can­cer, and the associated trauma which causes pain, agony and death to many families. In a goodwill message, Dr.

Ibrahim Akinwunmi Mustafa, Permanent Sec­retary of the LSPHCB, stated that the meeting became important in order to specifically address the nuances of HPV vaccine administration, and collectively devise solutions to achieve higher vac­cination rates. Participants at the Town Hall meet­ing discussed key challenges hindering increased vaccine coverage, including logistics, spread of misinformation, and community hesitancy. The strategic meeting yielded sever­al concrete action points, which include strengthening community engagement and expanding awareness campaigns, enhancing healthcare worker training.

Further, it improved stakeholder coor­dination, required to foster stronger col­laboration, among other interventions..