The Lagos State government says it will get at least 80 per cent of girls between the ages of nine and 14 immunised with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine before December 2024.

The immunisation coordinator of the State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB), Akinpelu Adetola, stated this on Tuesday at a two-day media dialogue on the HPV vaccine organised by LSPHCB in partnership with UNICEF.

Mr Adeola said a special team had been put in place to target out-of-school girls and those in the orphanage as part of efforts to reduce their chances of having cervical cancer.

According to him, the idea is to ensure that no young girl is left behind from being protected from cervical cancer by getting them vaccinated before they become sexually active.

“By December 2024, it will be fully routinised into the system, and it’s a one-off vaccine for girls between ages nine and 14, which is available at every government healthcare facility across the state for free,” he said.

In her presentation, Aderonke Akinlola-Akinwole, a social and behavioural change specialist with UNICEF, stressed the need for key stakeholders to leverage their individual platforms to help people understand the virus and the vaccination against it.

Mrs Akinlola-Akinwole underscored the importance of early vaccination as a means of ensuring total eradication of HPV.

“Prevention is better, cheaper and wiser than cure. It is cheaper to vaccinate against HPV than to treat cervical cancer.

“For early diagnosis and treatment, women of reproductive age and above are encouraged to go for screening,” she said.

(NAN)