HPV: Topic of cancer vaccines has once again sparked controversy

Nigeria has seen vaccination controversy before. Health officials in the nation faced opposition to the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in numerous regions approximately twenty years ago.

There were rumours circulating that the Wild Polio Vaccine (WPV) was developed by the West with the intention of depopulating Africa by making its people impotent as early as possible.

Thus, the vaccination intended to protect the next generation from the debilitating consequences of a wild polio infection was vehemently opposed.

The Federal Government and its development partners launched a counteroffensive in the rejection-endemic regions, mostly the north, to tackle the challenge of OPV resistance. In the process, they hired religious and traditional leaders.

Eventually, in order to persuade doubters that the government had no secret plans to target its Muslim populace, they had to dispatch a fact-finding team to Malaysia, a nation with a large Muslim population and a source of OPV for Nigeria.

A corresponding resistance met the COVID-19 vaccination as well. Conspiracy theorists claimed once more that it was a tool used by the West to depopulate Africa. Instead of getting the vaccine, many pledged to perish from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those who received the vaccine are still alive more than two years later.

Doubters of vaccines have good reason to be worried. Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, chose to test the effectiveness of their meningitis vaccine on several hundred youngsters in Kano State in 1996.

11 of the kids passed away after receiving doses of the ceftriaxone experimental vaccination and the oral antibiotic Trovan, proving that it was a deadly exercise. Six children died from ceftriaxone, whereas five children died after using Trovan.

Following a fifteen-year court struggle, Pfizer was found guilty and ordered to reimburse the families of each child who passed away with $175,000.

It is therefore not surprising that the Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) vaccine, which was recently introduced by the federal government and its development partners to prevent cervical cancer, is having the same kind of trouble as the OPV and COVID-19 vaccines.

Even while the federal government and its development partners claim that every scientific measure has been taken to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the immunisations, some parents have so far refused to let their female children between the ages of nine and fourteen to receive the shot.

A well-known talk show host from Abuja was seen cautioning parents not to get the vaccine in a video that went viral, claiming that it poses a risk to their health.

Additionally, a humorously supportive social media user advised anyone interested in vaccinating other people’s daughters’ daughters against HPV to start with their own girls.

Some Nigerians have expressed doubts about the vaccination’s safety, but others who have lost loved ones claim that their suffering could have been avoided if the vaccine had been available when the victims were still living.

At the same time, a widespread push to vaccinate as many young women as possible is being launched by the federal government and its allies.

Nonetheless, a large number of Nigerians have lost close relatives to the illness.

One of them, businesswoman Angela Usi, lost her mother to cervical cancer. She described how the illness caused her mother to suffer for two years before to her death.

She claimed that because her mother was unable to overcome cervical cancer, she was not present for her wedding.

Usi pleaded with parents to let their kids receive the HPV vaccine in order to safeguard their lives.

One of the spearheads of the HPV campaign, the World Health Organisation (WHO), states that there are six approved HPV vaccines: two quadrivalent, three bivalent, and one nonavalent.

READ ALSO: First phase of HPV vaccination to reach 6 million girls – IVAC

According to experts, the HPV nonavalent vaccination guards against infection with low-risk HPV types 6 and 11, but the quadrivalent vaccine is intended to protect against four distinct disease kinds.

According to the World Health Organisation, all vaccines are quite effective at avoiding infection with virus types 16 and 18, which combined account for around 70% of cervical cancer occurrences worldwide.

It claims that avoiding precancerous cervical lesions is another extremely effective use of the vaccinations.

The majority of nations that advise HPV vaccination have young adolescent girls, ages 9 to 14, as their main target demographic. The age of the vaccine recipient determines the vaccination schedule for all vaccines.

According to UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Health, Eduardo Celades, HPV `is something we have been seeking for, for a long time}.

Celades spoke in Abuja during one-on-one discussions with authorities and significant players in the vaccination’s introduction in Nigeria.

“Having these vaccinations is a fantastic starting point for working with the young girls to enhance their data. Thus, this is what we would like to do initially,” he stated.

He asserts that it would be jeopardising years of labour if vaccination rates have begun to decline or if the number of individuals who are resistant to vaccinations rises.

According to him, “We know it’s approved not just by NAFDAC in Nigeria but also by the FDA in the United States and European medical agencies by the Swiss medical agency.”

According to Emily Kobayashi, Head of HPV Programme at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, young girls must obtain the vaccine because cervical cancer is a fatal illness.

“Around the world, 340,000 women lose their lives to cervical cancer each year, with 90% of those deaths occurring in low- and middle-income nations like Nigeria.

Therefore, the majority of women worldwide are at risk for cervical cancer. Women between the ages of 35 and 55 are typically affected because this is when they are raising their children, working, and giving back to society.

Therefore, it is difficult to lose women at those time, and treating cancer is also quite difficult.

In addition to being extremely uncomfortable to live with, it can have disastrous financial effects on the patient and their family. The good news is that it is virtually totally avoidable.

“Therefore, human papillomavirus infection is linked to 90% of cervical cancer cases, and vaccination has reduced incidence of the disease by almost 90% in vaccinated populations,” the speaker stated.

According to Kobayashi, the HPV vaccine works best when administered prior to sexual beginning, when a person may be exposed to it.

The WHO has therefore advised nine to fourteen. That is, the age group where it occurs long before sexual initiation should be the focus.

She stated that there was great hope for vaccination acceptability because the WHO quickly conducted a poll in Nigeria.

“And the people stated that they were willing to vaccinate their daughters against HPV, even if they had never heard of the disease before.

“They are prepared to back immunisation. As a result, the community is communicating with us about high levels of acceptance and excitement. Thus, we have hope,” she remarked.

Dispelling myths regarding HPV and other vaccines with the involvement of Civil Society Organisations is crucial, according to Dr. Chizoba Wonodi, Immunisation the and Convener, Women Advocates for Vaccine Access.

“CSOs are significant because they represent the general public and choose to collaborate with communities that have a strong desire to see change occur.

“We provide the CSOs with immunisation training and support to enable them to carry out their activities,” the speaker stated.

The purpose of our training is to educate them on topics such as cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine, and how to interact and raise awareness in the communities.

“Community members will be able to make informed decisions if you can engage in a dialogue with them, answer their questions, and address their concerns without passing judgement,” she said.

No effort should be spared to mobilise parents to embrace the vaccination, according to Mrs Chika Offor, CEO of vaccination Net for Disease Control and Chairperson of the Health Sector Reform Coalition.

“How can we get the females to have their shots? She stated, “We need good planning, good mobilisation, and good community advocacy.” (NAN)

**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria.