HPV vaccination will safeguard wellbeing of girls, says Mrs Soludo

The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, has said that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination for girls would safeguard their health, wellbeing, and future.

Soludo, who is also the founder of the Healthy Living Initiative, made the assertion during the flag-off of the HPV vaccination on Tuesday in Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area.

The event was organised by the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners.

She described cervical cancer as a scourge in society that had become one of the leading causes of death among women.

According to her,every year in Nigeria, cervical cancer silently manifests in about 12,000 women and takes the lives of 8,000 promising women.

“This disease destroys the lives of these women, taking them away from their families just as they reach the prime of their lives, leaving husbands without wives, children without mothers, and families in financial ruins.

“The introduction of the HPV vaccine promises to safeguard the future of our children and tackle a significant health challenge head-on.

“The women of our future generation no longer have to wait and hope that cervical cancer will not be their portion; the solution is here with the HPV vaccine.

“The HPV vaccine will provide lasting protection for our girl child, aged 9 to 14 years, before they get exposed to the virus that is the primary cause of cervical cancer.

“I urge our children and our future to come out and get vaccinated to protect your future from cervical cancer,’ she said.

Also speaking, Dr. Chukwumuanya Igboekwu,South-East Zonal Coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), saidthat Africa had the highest burden of cervical cancer in the world.

He said that the Anambra government had introduced the HPV vaccine into routine immunisation in the state as one of the strategies to reduce the burden.

Also, Mr. Anthony Muobike, Chairman of the of the House Committee on Health in the State Assembly, urged parents to encourage their daughters to get vaccinated.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike,urged residents to support the Soludo-led administration as it strives to safeguard the health and wellbeing of residents.

In her remarks, Mrs. Chisom Uchem, Executive Secretary, ASPHCDA, said HPV was the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract, causing more than 95 percent of cases of cervical cancer.

“The HPV vaccine will be provided in schools within communities and in health facilities in the state over the next few days.

“Together, we can eliminate cervical cancer in Anambra State and Nigeria,” Uchem said.