Ondo state government will on Monday, May 27, begin the vaccination of girls against the Human Papilloma Virus, HPV.
The Permanent Secretary, Ondo state Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Francis Akanbiemu, said this in Akure, the state capital.
Akanbiemu said that the vaccine, already available in the state would be administered on girls of age 9 to 14yrs in all the eighteen local government areas over a period of five days.
He noted that a mop-up exercise would thereafter take place to ensure that all eligible girls were reached.
According to him "The vaccine will roll out from Monday, May 27, please mothers allow your children to be vaccinated, we cannot quantify what the government is doing now in terms of this Human Papilloma Virus vaccine.
"The long term effect of having daughters who would not come down with cervical cancer in the future would be a monumental one.
Akanbiemu added that "The government has started a race now and the race will not complete until girls of 9-14yrs are reached"
The Permanent Secretary said that HPV vaccine was a disease preventing vaccine and does not affect the female reproductive system urging mothers to shun any misconceptions and present their girls of age 9 to 14yrs for vaccination against human papilloma virus.
Also speaking, the director, disease control in the agency, Dr Victor Adefesoye, said that the government hoped to vaccinate eighty percent of girls in the first instance.
Adefisoye added that the vaccine would be taken round schools, markets places and other designated points while it would also be available in all primary health care centres across the state.
According to him "The government is targeting eighty percent of our girls in the first instance and this can be made possible with the help of our Mothers, please let us catch these children young with the HPV vaccine, present them for the vaccination when our health workers get to you" Adefesoye said.
He added that health workers scheduled to administer the vaccine had already been trained to carry out the exercise with a sense of responsibility.
The state immunisation officer, Mrs Comfort Olagundoye appealed to school proprietors and mothers a Ross the state to cooperate with health workers when they get to them.
