February 27, 2026
HPV Vaccine Demand Surges in Communities as Stakeholder Trust Strengthens
Recent experience shows that misinformation, often coupled with mutual distrust among public health personnel and other stakeholders, is the bane of immunization campaigns, especially in remote communities in Africa. While it may sound weird that in 2026, vaccine hesitancy is still being experienced in some communities, it’s only valid that human beings only trust what they have ample information and education about.
No doubt, organizations have consistently conducted awareness programs to support various immunization campaigns, it is still pertinent to consistently evolve strategies that continue to reach more communities with the right information. For instance, the head of social mobilization in Bauchi Local Government Education Authority (LEA ) of the state, Ahmed Rufai Mukaddas said that caregivers remain suspicious about the rationale behind Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination which focuses on young girls between 9-14 years.
“I recall a situation where a caregiver rushed into a school where HPV vaccination was ongoing to withdraw her kids from school to prevent them from receiving the vaccines”, he said. According to Rufai, “all efforts to convince the caregiver to vaccinate her child proved abortive at the time”. The reason for this is not far-fetched. With the avalanche of vaccines for the prevention of various diseases, awareness seems to be inadequate especially in communities that are not exposed to consistent public health education. Thus misconceptions and misinformation may largely contribute to this lack of trust.
Victoria Andrew, a caregiver and mother of three girls said, “many people think vaccination is a form of contraception or child spacing. Some mothers fear it will affect their children as they grow.” She recalls a neighbor with ten daughters who never allowed her girls to be vaccinated. Tragically, one of her daughters now struggles with mobility as a result of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP); largely caused by poliovirus. This would have been avoidable with the right awareness and demystification of age-long misconceptions.
eHealth Africa and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) identified these challenges and decided to further strengthen the intersection between the health, and education education sector vis a vis the community. The activities that followed this remained vital to the successful intensification of Humanpapilomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in Kano and Bauchi states, Nigeria. One strategic approach deployed by eHealth Africa is to precede the HPV intensification campaign with a strategic open co-creation and awareness session. The session provided an avenue for parents, caregivers, school teachers, community leaders and healthcare providers to have frank conversations on potential dangers of the HPV.
Speaking on this intervention, eHealth Africa’s project manager, Salahuddeen Sambo Ardo, said, “the session provided a uniting front on the critical importance of taking vaccines to prevent the dangers of diseases like cervical cancer”. According to Sambo, unlike the traditional top-down sensitization approaches, the co-creation model intentionally brought together a diverse mix of stakeholders, including caregivers and parents, teachers and Parent Teachers Association (PTA) representatives, community gatekeepers, state health educators, HPV focal persons, and girls aged nine years; the primary target group for HPV vaccination.
“This inclusive structure ensured that perspectives from both decision-makers and communities were represented, fostering shared ownership of the vaccination effort”, he added. Other stakeholder awareness activities for community ward heads, Public Health personnel training, edutainment activities in schools and Parent Teachers Association programs duly preceded community and school vaccination outreach.
This was a game-changer and a springboard for increased demand in HPV vaccines across the communities. For instance, Victoria’s perspective changed after attending the co-creation session on HPV vaccination. “I learned a lot, not just for myself, but for others too. As a mother, a Christian, and a Sunday school teacher, I realized that vaccines are safe and an essential first step in preventing disease.”
Hadiza Ahmed, who led these activities in Bauchi state said, the outcomes of the co-creation and edutainment activities were very encouraging. “Not only did the girls become advocates among their peers, but parents also began taking greater responsibility to ensure their daughters and other eligible girls in their communities were vaccinated”. Hadiza , who is also leading the activities of the Emergency Operation Center in the state said that, during the community outreach efforts, demand significantly increased as school heads have since expressed strong interest in continuing these outreaches within their communities. “In fact, vaccine supply shortages limited our ability to meet the full demand generated”, she revealed .
This was corroborated by Ahmed Rufai saying, one of the major delays experienced during the HPV intensification campaign is limited access to vaccines at some point. “For instance, in Rafin Makaranta, massive awareness and mobilization led to increased turnout for HPV vaccination, however, the available vaccine was not sufficient at the time, he said .”
The surge in HPV vaccine demand is a reflection of growing trust, stronger partnerships, and communities taking ownership of their health. It is pertinent to not just sustain this momentum but expand HPV intensification beyond current communities. More importantly, there is a need to ensure consistent availability of vaccines while community engagement continues. With consistent effort and strong partnerships, more girls can be protected early and the long-term burden of cervical cancer can be significantly reduced.
