Nigeria Vaccinates 18 Million Girls Against HPV

ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a major public health milestone, nigeria vaccinates 18 million girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), reaching roughly 76 percent of its national coverage target, according to official agency disclosures.

Dr. Rufai Ahmed Garba, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), shared the figures during a policy roundtable on cervical cancer elimination in Abuja, as reported by ThisDay. Launched in October 2023 for girls aged 9 to 14, the HPV vaccine is now fully integrated into routine immunization, offered free in public clinics for 9-year-olds and via private providers for older cohorts.

Nigeria records approximately 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer and nearly 8,000 deaths annually. Health officials warned that advanced diagnoses are increasingly appearing in younger women, citing two recent stage 3 cervical cancer cases in women aged 23 and 26 at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.

National Immunization Progress and Infrastructure Expansion

As nigeria vaccinates 18 million young girls to build future immunity, federal authorities are simultaneously expanding diagnostic networks for adult women:

Program Focus	Core Strategy & Target Reach	Current Implementation Status
Routine HPV Vaccination	Free public doses for 9-year-old girls; private access for older youth.	Over 18 million girls vaccinated (~76% of national target reached).
Cancer Treatment Hubs	Establishment of regional oncology centers across federal zones.	Six cancer centers operational; six additional facilities under construction.
Early Detection Networks	Launch of the NISCAN hub-and-spoke early screening model.	Active pilot program running across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

How Nigeria Vaccinates 18 Million Youth While Expanding Screening

The national vaccination milestone marks significant progress toward protecting the next generation of women from HPV-related malignancies. However, public health experts emphasize that adult women who were too old for the campaign when it launched remain reliant on routine screening and early clinical intervention.

Closing the Gap to Eliminate Cervical Cancer Risks

To ensure nigeria vaccinates 18 million remaining eligible individuals and improves adult care, stakeholders at the Abuja roundtable—organized by MSD and Africa Health Business—called for stronger public-private partnerships. Expanding private sector involvement is seen as vital for extending supply chains to hard-to-reach rural communities.

Reaching the final 24 percent of the national vaccination target will require targeted outreach to out-of-school girls and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Simultaneously, scaling up screening infrastructure remains essential to catching late-stage cases early across all age groups.

Why It Matters: HPV vaccination protects future generations, but reducing current mortality rates depends on expanding affordable screening and early treatment for adult women.

Source: ThisDay Report, September 30, 2026