HPV vaccine push to fight cervical cancer in Nigeria

Cervical cancer is a deadly disease which claims the lives of thousands of Nigerian women every year. 

Nigeria is fighting this health menace with the introduction of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunisation programme and began a vaccination drive for young girls in October. 

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, reporter Royal Uche speaks to top Nigerian scientists and health experts, Muhammad Habeebu, Ifeoma Okoye and Oyewale Tomori to learn more about the virus, from transmission to prevention, and how it leads to cancer.

We also hear from Ahmed Rufai Garba, national coordinator for HPV vaccination in Nigeria, about the rollout of the vaccine and future plans to mitigate the challenges.

This podcast was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

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