Warji LGA Tops Bauchi in HPV Vaccine Compliance as Health Experts Push for Greater Awareness

By Uzairu Dauda Bunga:

Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Board has applauded Warji Local Government Area for emerging as the best-performing Local Government Area in the state with 100 percent compliance in the acceptance of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine aimed at protecting girls aged 9 to 14 against cervical cancer.

The commendation was made by Muhammad Gimba during a presentation on the state’s HPV vaccine performance across the 20 LGAs at a two-day Capacity Building Workshop for Social Media Handlers held in Bauchi.

Gimba, however, expressed concern over the poor performance recorded in Kirfi Local Government Area, Itas Gadau Local Government Area and Toro Local Government Area, which achieved only one percent compliance in HPV vaccine uptake.

According to him, the low acceptance rate in the affected LGAs is largely due to inadequate public awareness and poor understanding of the dangers of the HPV virus as well as the importance of vaccination.

He also highlighted some of the major challenges affecting the programme in the state, including shortages and stock-outs of HPV vaccines at some healthcare delivery points, data quality concerns and other operational difficulties.

Providing an update on the state’s vaccination coverage, Gimba said Bauchi recorded 23 percent HPV vaccine coverage in January, 31 percent in February, 38 percent in March and 30 percent in April 2026.

He called on social media handlers and influencers to intensify efforts in educating communities across the state on the dangers of HPV and the importance of vaccination in preventing cervical cancer.

Speaking during the workshop, Wunti Alkhairi Foundation social media expert Abbas Muhammad urged participants to create compelling and well-branded HPV vaccine messages capable of attracting public attention and encouraging acceptance.

He encouraged content creators to make effective use of digital tools and applications such as Canva, CapCut, InShot, Remove.bg and Snapseed to produce professional and engaging social media content.

Also speaking, software expert Yahaya advised participants to adopt proper reporting templates for campaign monitoring and to make use of audience insights, impressions, shares and engagement analytics to improve future content strategies.

In his remarks, Dr Yahaya Yakubu cautioned social media influencers to be mindful of language use and ensure culturally sensitive communication, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

Dr Yakubu stressed the importance of verifying information for clarity, accuracy, empathy and cultural and religious acceptability when disseminating HPV vaccine messages to the public.