By Iyemah David
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has urged the Northern Traditional Leaders’ Committee (NTLC) to support the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine rollout.
The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, made the call at the third quarterly review meeting organised by the agency in Abuja.
HPV vaccines are vaccines that prevent infection by certain types of human papillomavirus.
Available HPV vaccines protect against either two, four, or nine types of HPV, and all HPV vaccines protect against at least HPV types 16 and 18, which cause the greatest risk of cervical cancer.
At the meeting, the NPHCDA emphasised the potential life-saving impact the HPV vaccine has on young girls’ future.
The NTLC meeting, therefore, which is a platform for the agency and Partners to engage traditional leaders on their responsibilities toward improving primary healthcare delivery in communities, addressed two critical issues that came up since the last gathering.
One of the major topics of discussion at the meeting was the progress made toward achieving a polio-free Nigeria.
Dr Shuaib said that the combined efforts of national and sub-national level stakeholders brought the country to the brink of eradicating all forms of polio.
The NPHCDA boss described the first issue as the imminent introduction of the HPV vaccine.
He emphasised the importance of accurate information dissemination about the vaccine through community channels, educational institutions and outreach programmes.
He pledged to work with state Primary Health Care Development Agencies to ensure seamless rollout of the HPV vaccine, leveraging traditional platforms to deliver essential information.
The executive director explained that the second issue is the ongoing diphtheria outbreak, primarily in Kano but spreading across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said “the outbreak has resulted in over 14,000 suspected cases, with a significant number of affected children aged 1 to 14 years.”
Shuaib emphasised the importance of non-pharmaceutical measures such as wearing face mask, practising hand hygiene and maintaining physical distance to mitigate the transmission of diphtheria.
He acknowledged the efforts of the royal fathers in the affected states for engaging their communities and promoting the importance of vaccination.
He called for redoubled efforts in educating communities about routine vaccinations and their vital role in safeguarding public health.
He reiterated his commitment to improving lives and expressed gratitude for the support and leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and the NTLC patron.
