More African nations focus on HPV vaccination against cervical cancer, but hesitancy remains

First introduced as part of the routine immunization program in October last year, the HPV vaccine was extended to a majority of Nigerian states on Monday, making it available across the country which accounted for one out of every eight cases of cervical cancer in Africa in 2020. A health worker administers a cervical cancer vaccine HPV Gardasil to a girl on the street in Ibadan, Nigeria, on May 27, 2024. African countries have some of the world’s highest rates of cervical cancer.

More than half of Africa’s 54 nations – 28 – have introduced the vaccine in their immunization programs, but only five have reached the 90% coverage that the continent hopes to achieve by 2030. Across the region, 33% of young girls have been vaccinated with HPV. “The elimination strategy is a long game ... but we know that vaccination is the strongest pillar and one of the easiest to implement,” Kobayashi said.

In Zimbabwe, where cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer among women, a group of mostly women known as Village Health Workers have been trained to raise awareness about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine in rural areas. But they fight a high level of hesitancy among religious sects that discourage followers from modern medicines, asking them to rely instead on prayers and “anointed” water and stones.

There are also success stories in Africa where authorities have achieved up to a 90% vaccination rate. One example is Ethiopia, which relies heavily on religious leaders, teachers and hotline workers. One of Africa’s largest HPV vaccination drives targeting girls recently kicked off in Nigeria, which has procured nearly 15 million doses with the help of the U.N. children’s agency. It will target girls aged 9–14 with single doses that the WHO’s African immunization advisory group has said is as effective as the regular two doses.

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

HPV Vaccine Offers Cancer Protection Beyond Cervical CancerHPV vaccination protects not only against cervical cancer in women but also other HPV-related cancers in men and women, most notably head and neck cancer in men, new data showed.
Source: Medscape - 🏆 386. / 55 Read more »

Men benefit from HPV vaccine too, research suggestsA national health survey shows many adults haven't been vaccinated.
Source: wfaa - 🏆 543. / 51 Read more »