Follow Us on Google
From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the Ondo State government on Monday flagged off Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in Ondo State.
The vaccine, according to UNICEF prevents the virus, which predisposes women and girls to cervical cancer.
The vaccination exercise will run for five days across schools in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu, expressed the state government’s readiness to roll out the vaccine.
Dr Akanbiemu explained that the vaccine would be administered to girls aged 9 to 14 years in all 18 Local Government Areas of the state over a period of five days.
He noted that a mop-up exercise would thereafter take place to ensure that all eligible girls are reached.
He said “The vaccine will roll out from Monday, May 27, 2024. Mothers are encouraged to allow their children to be vaccinated. We cannot quantify what the government is doing now in terms of this Human papillomavirus 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 to 14 years are reached,” he added.
Dr Akanbiemu emphasized that the HPV vaccine was a disease-preventing vaccine and does not affect the female reproductive system urging mothers to shun any misconception and present their girls aged 9 to 14 years for vaccination against the deadly virus.
The director of disease control in the agency, Dr Victor Adefesoye, while noting that the government hopes to vaccinate 80 per cent of girls in the first instance, hinted that the vaccine would be taken around schools and other designated points while it would also be available in all the Primary Health Care centres across the state.
“The government is targeting 80 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 by presenting them for the vaccination when our health workers get to you,” Adefesoye said.
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 when they get to them.
