Dr. Joseph Urang, the Immunization Officer at the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board, revealed this during a two-day media dialogue on "Care for Small and Sick Newborns, Oxygen Availability, and the Introduction of HPV Vaccine in Nigeria" in Port Harcourt.
As of November 16, the data covered 14 states where the vaccines were rolled out, securing over six million doses to protect girls aged nine to 14 against cervical cancer and related diseases.
Taraba achieved the highest vaccination rate at 98%, while Lagos had the lowest at 31%. HPV, a double-stranded DNA virus, can cause benign diseases, precancerous lesions, and invasive malignancy, primarily spreading through sexual contact.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in Nigerian women, constituting about 16% of all female cancers, with an estimated 604,000 new cases globally and over 31 million deaths annually.
The country has 56.2 million women aged 15 and older at risk, and approximately 12,075 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, leading to 7,968 deaths.
Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in Nigeria and the second most common among women aged 15 to 44.