Health experts advocate for the involvement of girls and women in Nigeria’s battle against cervical cancer, as 23 women lose their lives to the disease daily, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The appeal came during the grand finale of the “4 Girls and Women Innovation Bootcamp,” a collaborative initiative between the Nigeria Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Saint Louis University, and the University of North Carolina in the U.S. The bootcamp aimed to raise awareness and promote vaccination and screening for cervical cancer nationwide.
Cervical cancer, caused primarily by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), is the fourth most common cancer among women globally.
Oliver Ezechi, the lead fellow of the program and director of research at NIMR, emphasized its objective to upscale vaccination and screening for cervical cancer:
“We took a different approach by engaging girls and women who are mostly affected by cervical cancer to come up with ideas and innovations that will make a difference in the fight against the disease.”
Out of 600 entries received nationwide, the program selected seven finalist teams. These teams will return to their communities to identify 50 girls and 50 women who will receive free HPV vaccines and screenings. The project’s findings will be presented to the Ministry of Health for potential adoption in eradicating the disease.
Joseph Tucker, a Professor of Medicine from North Carolina and Co-Principal Investigator of the project, highlighted the opportunity to promote self-sampling for women and vaccination for girls, stating,
“Cervical cancer is killing many women in Nigeria, and this is really an important period for girls and women to be engaged in the fight against the disease by spreading awareness about it.”
Juliet Iwelunmor from Saint Louis University emphasized the program’s goal of ending cervical cancer in Nigeria, sharing her personal experience,
“Two years ago, I lost my in-law to cervical cancer, and it was a devastating experience for my family. No one should die from something that is preventable.”
Team Project Shade emerged as the overall winner of the 4G&W Innovation Bootcamp 2023, receiving a cash prize of one million naira. Team Reach Her and Team White secured the second and third positions, with cash prizes of N750,000 and N500,000, respectively.