Over twelve thousand Nigerian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, despite the disease being largely preventable.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, stated this during the launch of the cervical cancer vaccine campaign and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine integration sensitisation exercise in Bauchi state.
The minister emphasised the need for greater awareness among stakeholders as part of efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in Bauchi State and Nigeria as a whole.
He said the disease can be prevented if the HPV vaccine is administered early to individuals who are susceptible to the virus and at risk of eventually developing cervical cancer.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Dr Usman Malami, stressed that cervical cancer is one of the few cancers with a known cause, noting that early vaccination is critical to lifelong immunity against the disease.