Against the backdrop of unfounded rumours, myths and other allegations alleged on the effectiveness, potency and safety of the Human Pappiloma Vaccine (HPV) and other related vaccines from some quarters, the State Ministry of Information and the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), have implored the parents and the concern people to disregard and distance themselves from such unfounded and unsubstantiated rumours.
Speaking at a one- day advocacy and interactive section with journalists, an event organised by the Ministry of Information in conjunction with UNICEF on Human Pappiloma Vaccine (HPV), held at Inspiration hotel, Ikere Ekiti on Wednesday October 8th, the Commissioner for information, Honourable Taiwo Olatunbosun who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Olusesan Alabi said, without doubt, the Human Pappiloma Virus is a deadly virus which according to specialist is the most frequent cause of cervical cancer deaths among women, and the development of a vaccine to combat the virus is a right step in the right direction.
The Commissioner while restating that Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has made healthcare delivery a major focus in transforming the state into an enviable one among the comity of States, he asserted further that, it has been observed with dismay that since the onset of the vaccine, there has been large scale misinformation and unsubstantiated rumours, myths and misconception circulating on the vaccine across the Country.
He noted that trust in the vaccine is vital and critically dependent on the ability of the media to communicate the benefits and safety of the vaccine to the good people of the State.
Olatunbosun therefore enjoined the media Practitioners to wake up to their duties through proper portray of the vaccine by giving accurate information about the vaccine to the people to enable demystify the misconceptions and rumours about the vaccine to the targeted beneficiaries and encourage them to present themselves for vaccination.
“The media Practitioners have a huge role to play in demystifying the misconception and rumours about the vaccine. There is also an urgent need for us to raise awareness about the dangers of HPV and let people know that the HPV vaccine which is recommended for girls aged 9 — 14 years is safe, effective and free,” the Commissioner said.
Also speaking at the event, the UNICEF representative and Social Behavour Change Specialist, Mrs Aderonke Akinola Akinwale said, they are also using the opportunity of the meeting to talk about other childhood vaccines which would form the basis of the Non Polio Supplemental Immunization Activities campaigns that will be done in the State by this weekend.
Highlighting the vaccines that will be given, Mrs Akinwole said the concerned personnel would be giving among others, the regular routine vaccination which is for children between the age zero to two years, the measles vaccine which is between nine months to five years, and the HPV Vaccines between nine to fourteen years.
The specialist urged everybody to be seen as promoting and advocating for the uptake of childhood vaccines so that children do not die or become deformed as a result of disease as she remarked that it takes a father and a mother to give birth to a child, but it takes a whole community to raise a child.
Part of raising the child involves ensuring that the child survives and thrives by allowing the child to get access to all vaccinations that can prevent them from coming down with vaccine preventable diseases Mrs. Akinwole said.
The State Immunization Officer from the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency under the Ministry of Health, Mrs Omolabake Ogundola, who noted that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine was introduced in Ekiti State on 27th May, 2024 with the target of reaching 289,000 girls, but so far, they still have up to 8,000 girls on the list to be reached, which they are doing everything possible to reach and get them vaccinated.
She added that by next year, the vaccine would only be available for age nine children only and therefore enjoined all targeted audience who are eligible and fall within the age 9 — 14 years to utilize this good opportunity from the government and UNICEF by ensuring they get vaccinated.
Mrs Ogundola was of the opinion that the policymakers should come up with a particular policy that would enable schools to check the vaccination status of children before admitting them into school for the school to be convinced that they are protected and that they are not coming to get other children infected.
However, the Officer disclosed that the Immunization Unit in her place of work is already having a tracking mechanism which makes it easier to get tracked every child that has accessed their facilities for immunization to continue the schedules without dropping out.
“We have a number of schedules for the children to be fully immunized. We don’t want them to be partially immunized”.
Mrs Ogundola therefore said, it’s important for parents and caregivers to know that it is the right of every child to be vaccinated and that they shouldn’t be deprived of the right as she emphasized that the vaccine is available for free in all the health facilities in the State.
A Directors in the Ministry of Information, Mrs Adesola Fadiran while delivering her speech said, the one day media advocacy is to increase trust and uptake of HPV vaccine in the state and to solicit the support of the media to raise awareness on Human Pappiloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine.
Noting further she said, the media has an important and fundamental role to play in raising proper awareness on health issues by informing, educating and promoting positive attitudes and also, by communicating the benefits and safety of HPV vaccine to the good people of Ekiti State.
Fadiran said further that this is also an avenue to dispel and correct all the myths, rumours and misconceptions surrounding HPV vaccine. She Stressed that, since the introduction of HPV vaccine, there has been wide spread misinformation as well as unsubstantiated rumours circulating in the country about the vaccine.
This programme according to her, served as good opportunity to provide the media with correct and proper information about the vaccine to be promptly disseminated to the populace and enlighten them about the efficacy, potency, effectiveness and safety of HPV vaccine and as well, debunk all other rumours being spread by detractors in the country.
The Director also highlighted that this also is an avenue to increase trust and uptake of HPV vaccine because, according to her, trust in the vaccine is vital and this could only be attained through the ability of the media Practitioners to rightly project and communicate the benefits that could be derived and safety of the vaccine to the populace, as well as to build a strong relationship between UNICEF and the media in Ekiti State.
As part of the objectives of the meeting which is to solicit the support of the media to raise awareness on HPV Vaccine, the heads of the media houses in Ekiti have agreed to allot a particular time to the health practitioners in their various stations to enhance campaign for health related matters.
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