The Pediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has commenced the second phase of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in 21 states to bolster the vaccine uptake in the country.

While decrying low immunization in the country, the group called for immunization of more children to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Available HPV vaccines protect against two, four, or nine types of HPV to prevent the risk of cervical cancer.

World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show that while HPV vaccine introductions have gained momentum in upper-middle-income countries, with about 70 per cent of such countries having the vaccine in their national immunization programmes, only 31 per cent of non-Gavi-eligible lower-middle-income countries had introduced the HPV vaccine by 2022.

PAN President, Prof Ekanem Nsikak, spoke to commemorate the 2024 Children’s Day celebration themed: ‘Investing in our Future means Investing in our Children’, organised by the association to educate on the importance of immunization in society. The group also held an art competition among private and public secondary school students in Lagos State tagged ‘Immunization’ through Art. Ugochukwu Anthony of National College Gagada won first place and was awarded the sum of N150,000.

She said immunization is one of the most impactful and cost-effective public health interventions available, averting over four million deaths every year. In addition to its direct impact on the health of populations, immunization brings added value by reducing the burden of disease on individuals, families, and communities, including savings on medical expenses, as well as productivity and educational gains.

Nsikak at the art competition noted that immunization uptake in the country is still low as Nigeria alone accounts for about 2.2 million children who did not get any immunization dose, which is one of the highest numbers in the world.

“Sadly, only 23 per cent of children were fully immunized according to the National Programme of Immunization (NPI) schedule in 2021. Nigeria disproportionately accounts for 2.2 million of the 4.4 million zero-dose children in the West Africa region and one of the highest in the world,” she said.

She stated the importance of the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and announced the kick-off of the second phase in 21 states of the country.

She said, “Children are the future of any nation, therefore, any effort to boost immunization in children is securing the future of our nation. Coincidentally, the second phase of the HPV vaccination in Nigeria starts today in 21 states and will last for a week. This is for young girls aged nine -14 years to prevent cervical cancer and safeguard their future.”

An associate professor of pediatrics and Neonatologist, College of Medicine University of Lagos, Dr Iretiola Fajolu, explained that immunization is our corporate social responsibility and a way of getting people protected from harmful diseases.

“These vaccines have been made available for over 30 infectious diseases so that when they are introduced into the body, they would imitate an infection which our body responds to and produces anti-bodies that would be available to fight the actual infections when we get exposed to them,” Fajolu added.

Speaking on the uptake of the HPV vaccine, she said the indices are still low due to various reasons like ignorance, which she said is a major reason why people do not get vaccinated. She called on everyone to lend their voices in educating people on the importance of immunization to close the uptake gap in the country.

She said: “We need all hands on deck to educate people on the importance of immunization. The government is doing a lot to make these vaccines available in conjunction with partners globally because these vaccines are expensive, but some people have paid for them. So, it is a shame that we have these vaccines that are not being utilised because these vaccines protect us from deadly diseases; they are the major killers of our children.”