The National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP),? has urged government at all levels to make budgetary provisions for vaccines to protect people against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which causes cancers.
Dr Kin Egwuonwu, the National Coordinator of NCPP, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.?
Egwuonwu said that the vaccines protect against many cancers caused by the virus, including cancers of the anus, penis, scrotums, conjunctiva of the eye, skin, and nose.
He also called on the private sector to allocate part of their budget toward the vaccination of their members of staff and their dependants.
“Organisations that are not so financially buoyant can provide for the vaccine and then, allow their people to spread repayment over a period of time—that is, by instalment,” he said.
According to him, the Local, State and Federal Governments can provide the vaccination for people at no cost, by putting it as part of their budgets on health.??
The coordinator said, “Because, not many Nigerians can afford it, that is why the government should come in.
“There are some countries where the vaccine is paid for by the government upfront.
?“Government just provides the vaccine for the people, because in some countries, if somebody has cancer, it is the government that will take care of that person.
“So, the government believes that it is better to spend money on the vaccine—that is prevention– than to spend money on the cancer.”
He said, “Government in Nigeria doesn’t take care of people who have cancer; so, it is more difficult to convince the government to provide funds for the vaccine.
“But, from the humanitarian angle, and from the angle of providing benefit for the general public, we still say that government should consider providing vaccines at a regular interval for people, at either no cost or at a reduced cost.”
Egwuonwu said that there were four main types of the virus that cause cancers, adding that those four main types were types 16, 6, 11 and 18.
“So, 16, 18, 6 and 11, those are the four main types. And these four main types are protected against by the vaccine.
“There is a vaccine, that is quadrivalent against that virus, and there is another type of vaccine that protects against two and those two are 16 and 18.
“So, the vaccine is supposed to be from the age of nine years and above, both male and female.
“It is more important for use in young people because the benefit reduces once people start becoming sexually active.
“Then, it is better for people to take it when they are young. The usefulness of the vaccine is not known above the age of 45,” he said.
According to him, if people have the virus already, the vaccine protects against the action of the virus.
“Some studies have shown that if you have the virus, the vaccine is to protect you from the virus– from advancing in its effects.
“If you don’t have the virus, it will prevent you from having the virus in the first place.
“It is even more useful in women because women have cancer of the cervix.
“Men can also have cancer of the penis, scrotum and so on, though it is not as common as that of the cervix,” he said.
To avoid cancer, Egwuonwu advised against smoking, excessive alcohol, excessive weight, eating junk foods, but to eat healthy food and have good exercise routine.
“These things are still important, even when you take the vaccines. You still have to, but the vaccine gives you protection from this virus which causes so many cancers,” Egwuonwu said.
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