Facts about HPV wey dey cause cervical cancer and why vaccination dey important for teenagers

Di federal goment of Nigeria don begin plan to introduce Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines wey go helep protect teenage girls against cervical cancer. Di vaccines go also helep oda related diseases.

Cervical cancer na di fourth most common cancer among women for di world wia more dan 95% na due di human papillomavirus (HPV). Na di kind cancer wey dey develop for a woman cervix and for 2020 alone na about 342 000 death e cause.

According to di Executive Director of di National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, di plan na to begin rollout di HPV vaccines by 25 September. Dis new vaccine go be for girls between di ages of 9 and 15 as research show say Cervical cancer dey curable if dem diagnose am for early stage.

Meanwhile, HPV wit about 100 types, fit affect different part of di bodi wey include doz wey dey cause wart for hand, feet and face.

Wetin be di symptoms of HPV and cervical cancer

Some of di symptoms of cervical cancer wey dey show for early stage, dey include:

- Irregular blood spotting and light bleeding fit dey for women wey don reach reproductive age
- Bleeding afta intercourse
- Swelling for leg
- Foul discharge
- Weight loss and loss of appetite
- Pelvic and leg pain

Ogbonge pipo also add say anyone fit dey infected wit HPV if dem get skin-to-skin genital contact or sex wit any pesin wey get di virus. Partners fit also contract di virus through oral sex, anal sex wit oda close genital contact.

HPV na very highly contagious virus becos say e dey transmitted through skin-to skin contact. Di danger wey also dey be say pipo no need exchange body fluid to contract di virus.

For now, dem never know di cause of cancer but ogbonge health bodi estimate say cervical cancer go be di first cancer wey go dey eliminated if 90 per cent of dey vaccinated against HPV.

E go take about 15 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop inside women wey get normal immune systems, but women wey get weak immune system go dey get infected between 5 to 10 years, especially doz wey get HIV infection.

Why di vaccine dey important

According WHO, to take di vaccine dey necessary especially for pipo wey dey sexually active sake of say dem go don dey infected for one pont of dia lives and some fit get di infections repeatedly.

One ogbonge gynaecologist wey follow BBC Pidgin tok, Dr Edokpolor Osazuwa, reveal say early vaccination dey very important to prevent di spread of HPV. Im tell BBC News Pidgin say doz wey get multiple sex partners dey at very high risk to contract di virus sake of dia sexual activities.

“Everybodi dey focus on prevention wey make di vaccine very necessary to prevent di virus. Di risk factor dey wit doz wey get multiple sex partners and wey dey also use contraceptives. Na HPV be di cause of cervical cancer wia we gatz do primary prevention through di vaccine wey dey available.”

Dr Edokpolor reveal say na doz wey still young especially di teenagers wey never get any sexual intercourse better to receive di vaccine sake of say dem never dey sexually exposed.

“E better to give di vaccine to pipo wey never dey sexually exposed, doz wey never do sexual intercourse bifor and doz wey don dey tested negative. Di vaccine dey safe to give to diz young women and teenagers before dem dey exposed to sexual intercourse.”

Di doctor add say di vaccine go helep prevent patients from di virus and dem go get some degree of immunity and antibody to fight di virus since I only side effect wey dey na di normal reaction wey dey happun wen pesin collect vaccine.