HPV vaccine: Ekiti, UNICEF partner for campaign against misinformation

The Ekiti State Government in partnership with the United Nations Children ‘s Fund (UNICEF) called for media support to help communicate the benefits and safety of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine to the people of the State.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Taiwo Olatunbosun, stated that there’s an urgent need to raise awareness about HPV for people to know that the vaccine for the virus, which is recommended for girls aged 9-14 years is safe, effective and free.

The Commissioner said this on Wednesday while giving his keynote address at the one-day advocacy meeting with media and other stakeholders on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine, organized by the Ministry of Information in conjunction with UNICEF, held in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Olatunbosun who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Prince Sesan Alabi, noted that the Human Papilloma Virus is a deadly virus which according to Health specialists is the most frequent cause of cervical cancer deaths among women.

The Commissioner said the development of a vaccine to combat the virus is a right step in the right direction, saying it has been observed with dismay that since the onset of the vaccine, there has been large-scale misinformation as well as unsubstantiated rumours, myths, and misconception circulating on the vaccine across the country.

The state spokesperson maintained that trust in the vaccine is vital and critically dependent on the ability of the media to communicate the benefits and safety of the vaccine to the good people of Ekiti State.

Olatunbosun equally said proper and correct information about the vaccine will help people to deal with internalized fear and reduce dependency on misinformation adding that media practitioners have a huge role to play in demystifying the misconceptions and rumours about the vaccine so that targeted beneficiaries can present themselves for vaccination.

The Commissioner commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for being a consistent partner, friend, and collaborator in ensuring the safety of the health of women and children by extension, the men domiciled in Ekiti state.

“It is very important to state here that the present administration under the leadership of our amiable Governor, Mr Biodun Abayomi is committed to the well-being and overall development of Ekiti state,” he said.

The Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF, Mrs. Aderonke Akinola Akinwole, in a separate interview with journalists, said they are also using the opportunity of the meeting to talk about other childhood vaccines which would form the basis of the Non Polio Supplemental Immunization Activities campaigns that will be done in the State by this weekend.

Highlighting the vaccines that will be given, Mrs Akinwole said the concerned personnel would be giving among others, the routine vaccination which is for children between the ages of zero to two years, the measles vaccine which is between nine months to five years, and the HPV Vaccines between nine to fourteen years.

READ ALSO: FG to introduce HPV vaccines to prevent cervical cancer

The specialist urged everybody to be seen as promoting and advocating for the uptake of childhood vaccines so that children do not die or become deformed as a result of disease she remarked that it takes a father and a mother to give birth to a child, but it takes a whole community to raise a child.

The State Immunization Officer from the State Primary Healthcare Development under the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Omolabake Ogundola, who noted that the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine was introduced in Ekiti State on 27th May 2024 with the target of reaching 289,000 girls, said they still have up to 8,000 girls on the list to be reached.

However, the officer disclosed that the Immunization Unit has a tracking mechanism that makes it easier to track every child that has accessed their facilities for immunization to continue the schedules without dropping out.

“We have a number of schedules for the children to be fully immunized. We don’t want them to be partially immunized,” Ogundola said.