The Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA) recently held a stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City on the Edo Youth Initiative for Enhancing Long-Term Delivery (Y.I.E.L.D.) of HPV vaccines.
The project, supported by the International Vaccine Access Centre & Direct Consulting and Logistics (IVAC-DCL), focuses on harmonizing strategies to fully institutionalize school-based HPV vaccination, with special emphasis on reaching nine-year-old girls across the state.
The meeting brought together stakeholders from the health and education sectors to discuss ways to strengthen school-based vaccination efforts statewide.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, EDSPHCDA, Dr. Coulson Oahimire Osoikhia, the Director, Disease Control and Immunization, Dr. Efeomon Eseigbe, highlighted the increase in the number of girls vaccinated in Edo State. He stressed that more efforts are needed to raise awareness of the HPV routinization at the health facilities.
Also speaking, the State Health Educator, Mrs. Irene Uabor, explained that the current HPV vaccination schedule targets nine-year-old girls. She informed participants that the HPV vaccine is now available and fully integrated into routine immunization services at the healthcare facilities across Edo State.
She noted that although the last statewide HPV vaccination campaign in 2024 targeted girls aged 9–14, recent national data show that routine vaccination coverage for nine-year-old girls is still below target.
Addressing the participants, the IVAC-DCL Mrs. Rachel Okoronkwo reiterated that the meeting was designed to align operational teams, strengthen vaccination processes, boost coverage, and ensure long-term success in HPV immunization of young girls in Edo State.
A representative of the Formidable Educational Development (Edo State Chapter), Mr. Oladele Ogundele, praised the initiative of harmonizing strategies to fully institutionalize school-based HPV vaccination; he, however, suggested revisiting the target age range to include girls aged 9–14, similar to the approach used in the 2024 campaign.
