According to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), 7,968 women in Nigeria lose their lives to cervical cancer each year, out of 12,075 cases that are diagnosed.
Speaking yesterday at a media dialogue on care for small and sick newborns, oxygen availability, and the introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine in Nigeria, organized by UNICEF in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, was the state immunization officer, NPHCDA, Dr. Joseph Urang.
Uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells in the cervix leads to cervical cancer.
It is the second most common cancer among Nigerian women and the second most common cancer among women aged 15 to 44.
Urang said the Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for about 95 percent of cervical cancer. “HPV is the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) globally, with an estimated 80 percent of sexually active individuals infected at some point in their lives.
“Most HPV infections are asymptomatic; about 90 percent of infections clear within two years, but some infections continue. Infection that continues can progress to cervical cancer with specific types of HPV (particularly types 16 and 18). This progression takes 20 years on average and tends to cause symptoms only after the cancer has reached an advanced stage,” he explained.
Concurrently, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 15 states have received HPV vaccinations thanks to a recent federal initiative.
According to NPHCDA data, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, and Nasarawa have the highest HPV vaccination rates at 98%, 97%, and 93%, respectively, while Lagos has the lowest rate of immunization (31%).
