The official flag-off of the free HPV Vaccination against Cervical cancer as the House Committee Chairman on Health Enugu South Local Government Area commenced yesterday.
The untiring Support of the Executive Chairman Enugu South local Government, Barr. Chimezie Nkwuo towards the health Sector of our local Government is really commendable.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has flagged off Human Papillomavirus (HPV) routine vaccination against cervical cancer among women in the state, saying the vaccine is free and available to young girls between 9 and 14 years at all healthcare centres across the state.
He also disclosed that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease, which causes fatal cervical cancer and mainly affects girls. It can only be prevented through timely vaccination.
The governor also reacted to the fake news getting viral. In regard to that, he urged the women of Enugu to avoid any false claims they come across in the churches and other places of worship, in the homes and schools to embrace the vaccine.
He further said that there is a need to dismiss the false claims against the vaccine because it has been certified by the World Health Authorities as safe.
He also gave the example of an ongoing successful vaccination drive conducted by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to escape from the dangerous Diphtheria, which is also a highly contagious disease and is spreading very fast in Nigeria.
The representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the state, and a non-governmental organisation, FHI360, all declared the vaccine safe for the prevention of cervical cancer, and with that, they also gave goodwill messages to the people.
