HPV Vaccine: Bauchi Gets Additional Doses
Dr Rilwanu Mohammed Executive Chairman Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency. Photo: Murtala Muhammad
By Murtala Muhammad
Bauchi State government has secured four hundred and fourty thousand doses of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The vaccine, which is injectables would be used to protect girls of nine to fourteen years old against cervical cancer in the forthcoming vaccination exercise.
Cervical cancer is one of the common cancers bedeveling women and girls who are exposed to sexual intercourse.
The vaccination exercise would commence on the 25th September with ten out of twenty Local Government Areas in the first phase, after which the remaining LGAs would be conducted.
The Executive Chairman, State Primary Health Care Development Agency Dr Rilwanu Mohammed made this known at a One-day Stakeholders Engagement meeting in Bauchi.
The participants include journalists, religious and traditional leaders, women associations as well as Civil Society Organisations across the twenty local government areas of the Bauchi.
Dr Mohammed expressed satisfaction that currently, the number of doses given to the state for the exercise would cater for its target population group.
He said the NPHCDA had earlier gave Bauchi state one hundred and twenty six doses of the HPV vaccine and now provided additional ones, making it 440,000.
Also speaking, the Director, Disease Control and Immunization, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dahiru Mahmood told the participants that their identification and selection was not a coincidence, but a wise one considering the role they can play in ensuring the success of the exercise.
He called on the media, parents, religious and traditional leaders, CSOs, women associations among others to cooperate and support the vaccination exercise as well as sensitize others with a view to achieving success.
Our correspondent reports that the Stakeholders Engagement meeting was organized by the State Primary Health Care Development Agency with support from Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
