Consequent upon the rumour making rounds that some vaccines are killing people, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, has given Nigerians assurance that the Human Papillomavirus, HPV vaccine, aimed at preventing cervical cancer is safe.
Dr Alausa gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen after a courtesy call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Lagos House, Marina.
“HPV vaccine is 100 per cent safe,” the minister said, adding, “This is a vaccine that has been in existence for about 18 years now, and Nigeria is late to adopt this vaccine.”
He noted that Nigeria had about 8,000 women “dying from cervical cancer” today, stressing that “this vaccine will prevent cervical cancer by 95 per cent.”
He appealed that girls between the ages of 9 and 15 years should be encouraged to take the vaccine, adding that some countries are already administering the vaccine to women up to 45 years old.
“It is a safe vaccine. We should encourage all our young girls between the ages of nine and 15 years to get this vaccine. In fact, in other parts of the world, the HPV vaccine has been expanded to be administered to women as old as 45 years.
“It saves lives, it prevents cancer. This is one of the preventive things we could do to help our healthcare system,” he said.
Alausa said, “So, let me emphatically say it again: HPV vaccine, the Human Papillomavirus vaccine is 100 per cent safe. I’m a physician. I’m a father. I have a daughter and she got the vaccine when she was 13 years old and that was about 13 years ago.
“So, I’m putting my mouth where my money is; HPV vaccine is safe. Please, discount any ignorant, uneducated social media information you get. HPV vaccine is safe.”
The Human Papilloma Virus, HPV Vaccine, was rolled out IN Abuja on Tuesday by the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Meanwhile, schoolgirls aged 9 to 14 years on Thursday received the Human Papillomavirus vaccine at the Junior Secondary School, Asokoro, Abuja.
The vaccination targets over seven million girls, which is the largest number in a single round of HPV vaccination in the African region.
The girls aged 9 to 14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which prevents HPV types 16 and 18, known to cause at least 70 per cent of cervical cancers.
Radio Nig / Anjola Babatope
