Emily Kobayashi: The inspiring story of Maina Modu – a father who is also a state immunization officer
Emily Kobayashi,
“Sometimes people in the US and Europe ask me if HPV vaccination should really be a priority in Africa. The implication is that there are other deadly infectious diseases affecting children early in life that are more important.
But in the US and Europe, we have already experienced sustained declines in cervical cancer brought about by 18 years of vaccination and widespread access to screening through Pap smears.
In most countries in Africa, cervical cancer is as prevalent or nearly as prevalent as breast cancer. Public health leaders are highly motivated to prevent cervical cancer, because they understand the true burden of disease, and often through their personal experiences of losing loved ones to this awful disease.
Today we have the inspiring story of Maina Modu – a father who is also a state immunization officer in Borno, Nigeria. He is motivated by the loss of his wife to cervical cancer to reach the girls in his country, his state, and his own family, with the HPV vaccine.”
Source: Emily Kobayashi/LinkedIn