…As Ekiti First Lady Flags-Off Vaccination
By Precious Oham
The Ekiti State government on Monday tasked parents to embrace Human Papilloma Virus, HPV, vaccine to end cervical cancer among the girl-child.
The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, who flagged off the HPV vaccination exercise in Ado-Ekiti, urged parents and guardians to encourage their girl-child to take the vaccine.
The Commissioner for Health and Human services Dr Oyebanji Filani, who reiterated the benefits of the vaccine said it is safe and healthy towards the elimination of cervical cancer.
According to him, no fewer than 300,000 girl-child between the age of 9-14 years will benefit from the exercise which will cut across all the primary healthcare facilities in the State.
His words: “HPV helps to prevent cervical cancer and cervical cancer is one of the deadly cancers that affects women. HPV helps to prevent the cervical cancer.
“Well, the idea to the HPV vaccine is the prevention and it’s similar to some other vaccines that children have taken when they were much younger. Whether it’s the polio vaccine or the measles vaccine or any of the other vaccines, this vaccine will be given starting from children within the age of 9 and 14.
“I would like to encourage all mothers and all fathers that this is a vaccine that has been properly checked by NAFDAC. It has been certified by the Federal Ministry of Health and certified by the State.
“Also, if you go to any of our primary health centres, it is free. It is free as the same with all other of our vaccines. If you walk into any of our facilities to get the vaccine, you could guarantee that.”
Gilbert Ayodele Seluwa, the Director General of the Primary Health Care Development Agency in the State described the vaccine as an investment for the future.
According to him; “Immunization services is not new in any environment. This is a new innovation. The issue of HPV came on board and we want to make sure that we invest in this. Our investment is for the future not this present time.
“We need to really guide against it in this period of their early stages. The best time to give this injection is the ages between 9-14 years. When we do this, we are talking about the future investment and the emergence of cervical cancer has been defeated.
“To really make sure that we sustain this, we will integrate it into the routine immunization services so that when you visit any health centre, definitely this will be part of it. After this campaign, you will have this vaccine in our facilities.”
The HPV vaccine, which is free will be given to girls aged 9-14 years in primary health facilities, schools and communities across 21 states of the federation including Ekiti State.
