As part of efforts to safeguard the lives of young girls, the Ondo State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (OSPHDA) is set to commence the vaccination of girls against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the state.
The Permanent Secretary of OSPHDA, Dr Francis Akanbiemu, who disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Akure, said the HPV vaccine which predisposes women and girls to cervical cancer will commence on Monday, May 27, children’s day.
Akanbiemu, who expressed the readiness of the state to collaborate with other stakeholders to stamp out cervical cancer said the vaccine will be rolled out and made available in all local government areas of the state.
According to him, the vaccine would be administered to girls child between the ages of 9 to 14 years in all the local government areas over a period of five days.
He explained that a mop-up exercise would thereafter take place to ensure that all eligible girls were reached.
He said “The vaccine will roll out from Monday, May 27, please mothers allow your children to be vaccinated, we cannot quantify what the government is doing now in terms of this HPV vaccine.
“The long-term effect of having daughters who would not come down with cervical cancer in the future would be a monumental one.
“The government has started a race now and the race will not complete until girls of 9-14 years are reached.”
Akanbiemu emphasised that the HPV vaccine was a disease-preventing vaccine and does not affect the female reproductive system urging mothers to shun any misconceptions and present their girls aged 9 to 14 years for vaccination against human papilloma virus.
The Director, Disease Control of the agency, Dr Victor Adefesoye, explained that the state government hoped to vaccinate 80 per cent of girls in the first instance.
He said the vaccine would be taken around schools, markets places and other designated points while it would also be available in all primary healthcare centres across the state.
According to him, “The government is targeting eighty per cent of our girls in the first instance and this can be made possible with the help of our Mothers, please let us catch these children young with the HPV vaccine, present them for the vaccination when our health workers get to you.”
Adefesoye added that health workers scheduled to administer the vaccine had already been trained to carry out the exercise with a sense of responsibility.
The state Immunisation Officer, Mrs Comfort Olagundoye also urged school proprietors and mothers to cooperate with health workers who will be going around to administer the vaccine.
