Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: The cancer space has been agog with news of the Global HPV Consortium launch by Sabin Vaccine Institute in Malaysia this week.
Quoting Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu on LinkedIn:
”The cancer space has been agog with news of the Global HPV Consortium launch by Sabin Vaccine Institute
in Malaysia this week. Such news interests me as I have been very active in advocating for the introduction of the vaccine in Nigeria. It gladdens me that the day has finally arrived; and the better part of our 60M adolescent girls will be vaccinated – starting in a few weeks. Beyond that, cervical cancer is becoming a sexy topic! Finally.
I support the consortium and align myself with its goals, and will work with them via my various platforms. Many have asked me what it actually entails. It is simply an access program to accelerate the provision of HPV vaccines, screening and early treatment to eliminate cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer in my country Nigeria, where we are said to have 12,000 new cases every year (out of which 7000 women die). We know that these stats are weak and the real number is much higher. At the coalition launch, the former prime minister of New Zealand, Honourable Helen Clarke, said on record 1m women die globally each year. Yes this is an underestimate, but it is still 1m lives lost needlessly. Women are unvaccinated, unscreened, untreated and unreported.
So we do need this collective action to achieve what is certainly achievable because the science exists!
In Kuala Lumpit, I participated in a panel discussion moderated by Prof Flavia Bustreo along with the youthful Mazeko Matemvu, Indrajit Chaudhuri and Summer Ng.
My experiences didn’t differ much from most people in the room. Awareness, funding, access..all were mentioned. Where we still differ a lot is the issue of self-care/ self sampling. It’s simply not working well for us in Northern Nigeria. However, I agree that with better education, communication and utilization of community gatekeepers, this can change.
My second key message was on duplicating and reinventing programs. The first port of call for partners, donors, and international organizations is usually the Ministry of Health. Most governments now have an office that coordinates donor programs. This will avoid repetitive action. On our part, this office needs to be strengthened and work in a synergistic manner.”
Source: Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu/LinkedIn
Her Excellency Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is the First Lady of Kebbi State, a global cancer advocate, a pediatrician, a UICC Board Member, a Founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, and the Chairperson of First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), a coalition of the spouses of current and former state governors in Nigeria who are working to address gaps in the cancer continuum of care. In her role as the First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr Bagudu is working with the state ministries of health, education, and women affairs to implement programs to sustainably improve menstrual hygiene, girl-child education, economic empowerment of women, and put an end to gender-based violence. Her Excellency is a member of the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.
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