FG begins cancer vaccine campaign in Bauchi

The federal government, through the Ministry of Health, has flagged off the cervical cancer vaccine campaign in Bauchi State.

While kick starting the campaign on Saturday, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, explained that every year in Nigeria, more than 12, 000 women suffer from cervical cancer despite being preventable.

He said, “With this HPV vaccination, we know that it can be preventive if administered earlier enough to those who can be effective with the virus and ultimately develop cancer.

“It is something that the President is very committed to, and if you recall, he flagged off the cervical cancer vaccination, HPV on October 2023. I am pleased that so far, Nigeria has covered 96 per cent of all eligible cohorts in the first phase of those that were vaccinated.

This is among the highest in the world in terms of HPV vaccine coverage for that cohort.”

Pate noted that awareness among stakeholders in Bauchi State is also in progress.”

Also speaking, the Director of General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Usman Malami, while also emphasising that the exact cause of cervical cancer is well known, “then it is one of the few cancers we have that are preventable.

Since we already know what is causing this cancer, and we know what can confer a lifetime immunity to developing that disease. So that is why we are here today to administer vaccines.”

On his part, the Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board, Rilwanu Mohammed stated that the state has remained committed to the success of the campaign.

Rilwanu revealed that “The vaccines work very well on children that have not been sexually attended, especially, the young girls between nine years to 14 years old.”

Pix: Prof. Pate during the symbolic campaign flag off HPV Vaccine in Bauchi State.