Cervical cancer: Summit runs essay contest to dispel HPV vaccines misinformation

The Stakeholders’ Summit on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria (SSCCEN) has launched a national essay competition as a strategy towards addressing misinformation about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the country. A statement from the summit signed by the Secretary, Scientific Committee, Dr Ishak Lawal, said the essay competition, which was conceptualised by the youth […]

The Stakeholders’ Summit on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria (SSCCEN) has launched a national essay competition as a strategy towards addressing misinformation about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the country.

A statement from the summit signed by the Secretary, Scientific Committee, Dr Ishak Lawal, said the essay competition, which was conceptualised by the youth engagement committee of SSCCEN, is geared towards putting adolescent girls on the driver’s seat in creating awareness about HPV, cervical cancer, and dispelling misinformation about HPV vaccines.

Dr Lawal said the theme for this year’s competition “Empowering Families and Youth: HPV Vaccination as a Pathway to Prevent Cervical Cancer and Foster Positive Health Discussions”, was deliberately chosen to use HPV as a vehicle to promote positive health behaviour in the family with a focus on cervical cancer prevention.

Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer affecting women in Nigeria, causing over 7,000 avoidable deaths annually.

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The HPV vaccine is primarily given to adolescent girls to prevent cervical cancer in womanhood.

Nigeria introduced the HPV vaccine into its routine immunisation programme at the end of last year.

In line with the WHO’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative (CCEI), which prescribed three targets to achieve cervical cancer elimination; 90% of adolescent girls are vaccinated with HPV vaccine, 70% of eligible women are screened for pre-invasive lesions of the cervix and 90% cases of cervical cancer are appropriately treated.

Reports from the field showed widespread vaccine hesitancy fueled largely by misinformation and misconceptions. Experts said empowering communities with accurate information is the cornerstone of dispelling myths and misconceptions.

The statement said entries would close at midnight of October 13, 2024 and that awards would be presented to the winners of the essay competition on November 21, 2024, during the opening ceremony of the 2nd  Stakeholders’ Summit on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria.

The Stakeholders’ Summit on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria (SSCCEN) is a public-private partnership to encourage multi-sectoral collaboration in the efforts to put Nigeria on the path to cervical cancer elimination. The first summit was held as a side meeting at the International Cancer Week in 2023.

The second summit is slated for November 17-22, 2024, in Abuja, FCT. It was conceived by the End Cervical Cancer Nigeria Initiative (ECCNI) a non-governmental organisation. It was led by the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination (NTF-CCE), a ministerial committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Services.

The 15-member committee was announced by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, on August 19, 2024, chaired by Prof. Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, a former minister of health, while Prof. Sani Malami, a past president of Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), serves as secretary.

The activities outlined for the summit include a pre-summit workshop to be held on November 17 to 20.