Ghana in Focus Health special: The HPV Vaccine rollout, responsible healthcare or sinister agenda

 Cervical cancer in Ghana stands at a difficult intersection—technically preventable, yet disproportionately affecting Black women. The primary culprit is persistent infection with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV-16 and HPV-18. Health officials advocate for vaccinating girls before their sexual debut, citing dramatic reductions in future risk. But beneath this clinical rationale lies a deeper, more complex story—one shaped by unequal access to screening, delayed diagnoses, systemic bias, and a legacy of medical mistrust. When public health initiatives target young girls’ bodies, trust becomes as critical as data. Ghana’s HPV vaccination campaign raises pressing questions about safety, sovereignty, and community agency. 

Historical Shadows and Present-Day Fears

Medical history casts a long shadow. The Tuskegee syphilis study remains a symbol of state-sanctioned betrayal, while works like Medical Apartheid document systemic exploitation across the African diaspora. More recent controversies—such as coerced Depo-Provera injections among Ethiopian women in Israeli transit camps—have heightened anxieties around reproductive autonomy. Even COVID-19 vaccine campaigns, despite their public health intent, left many feeling coerced rather than empowered. These episodes, whether directly comparable or not, shape how communities perceive today’s HPV vaccines. When people ask “what’s in the vial?” they’re also asking “who decides, who benefits, and who bears the risk if things go wrong?” 

Sovereignty and the Vaccine Supply Chain

Ghana does not produce its own HPV vaccines. Instead, it relies on global supply chains, international regulators, and partnerships with organizations like the WHO. This can be a strength—ensuring shared standards and safety protocols—but also a vulnerability if local trust is lacking. Without transparent ingredient lists, independent testing facilities, and open reporting of side effects, official reassurances compete with rumours and lived experiences. The result is polarization: advocates highlight reduced HPV prevalence and future cancer prevention, while critics see a programme targeting future mothers without sufficient community consent or African-led research 

Beyond the Needle: Traditional Knowledge and Holistic Health

Seeking alternatives isn’t about rejecting science—it’s about expanding the conversation. African traditional medicine offers a rich pharmacopeia of antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immune-supporting plants: neem for  for cleansing, moringa for hormonal balance, African basil for microbial support, Sutherlandia for immune modulation, hibiscus for antioxidants, and baobab for vitamin C–rich repair. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Subscriber Shout‑outs
• 2:19 Why HPV And Why Now
• 3:40 Cervical Cancer 101
• 6:25 Why Black Women Face Higher Risk
• 9:20 Historical Abuses Fuel Mistrust
• 13:04 Modern Examples And Sterilisation Claims
• 15:28 COVID Vaccines And Safety Concerns
• 18:12 Sovereignty And “What’s In The Vial?”
• 20:18 Population Control And Demographics
• 22:51 Alternatives: African Medicinal Plants
• 26:30 Herbal Remedies For HPV Support
• 29:10 Caution, Questions, And Next Steps
• 31:15 Closing, Prostate Preview, Subscriptions

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:04

Welcome to this week's edition of Ghana and Focus Myself, Kwame, Ghanaian writer, broadcaster, producer, entrepreneur, and podcaster. And this week's edition of Ghana and Focus is a special, it's a health special, looking about the uh rollouts of the HPV vaccine in Ghana. Is it good or is it bad? The topic for this week's program uh the rollout of the HPV vaccine in Ghana. Is it good or is it bad? Uh before we get into the show, just to remind you, if you like what you hear, please share it to your friends, uh, your family, social media networks, subscribe to Ghana, African Focus on Spotify. Uh, we're also on YouTube as well. Look out for Ghana, African Focus on Spotify. Uh, click the follow button, meaning that every time we upload a new podcast, uh, Spotify will notify you. So you want to get as many followers as we can on Spotify. Likewise, with YouTube, again, look out for Ghana Stroke African Focus on YouTube. Hit the notification bell, meaning that every time we upload a new podcast, YouTube will notify you. Okay, so it's free, it doesn't cost anything to subscribe. So please subscribe to Ghana, African Focus on uh YouTube and also Spotify. We're also um amongst the top 20 best podcasts in Ghana, and you can get that on feedpost.com. Uh, they compile their company that compile a list of the um top 80 podcasts in Ghana, and Ghana, Ghana African Focus is in the top 20, I think we're number 10 or 11 of that particular uh podcast uh chart. So uh thank you for all those listeners in Ghana who have made Ghana African Focus one of the most popular uh podcasts in Ghana. We can consider how many podcasts that there are in Ghana, you know, for me to feature so high. I really uh respect all of you, particularly those in Ghana who take time to listen to the podcast. All right, so we're on feedpost.com if you want to get us there as well. All right, so let's get into this week's podcast looking about the issue of the HPV vaccine that is being rolled out in Ghana as we speak. And so, according to the World Organization, uh survival cancer is a big killer globally, but black women, African women disproportionately are more disappointed rather to be affected by HPV compared to other um groups of people, and so this is primarily the reason why uh Ghana has embarked on this um HPVC vaccine uh rollout program, uh particularly for young school girls. Okay, so this is not for women in their 20s or 30s, but this is young school girls. This is like under 18, thereabouts, yeah, and I'll come to that in a minute. So for me, as someone who is a uh you know, historian and also a commentator, and also who's into healthcare, I'm deeply disturbed about this um rollout uh for the HP HPV vaccine. Now, I'll tell you that in a minute. So, what basically is um um cervix cancer or rather cervical cancer? So, what cervical cancer is is primarily caused by persistent infection with certain types of human papillomavirus. That's where the term HPV comes from. Human papillomavirus, yeah. Also, several other factors can increase the risk. So the main cause is obviously the HPV, the human papillomavirus. So if so, within the body, you know, we get a lot, we're supposed to have viruses, so you know, from the air that we breathe to the plastics and other um elements, the body, you know, um you could say soaks up many viruses, amongst them is the human papillomavirus, which is commonly in women. Now, nearly all cases of several fibral cancer are linked to high-risk strains of HPV, especially type 16 to 18. HPV is also a common sexually transmitted infection, and most people contract it at some point. In most cases, the body clears the virus naturally, but persistent infection can lead to abnormal cell changes that may develop into cancer. Now, additional risk factors include a weak immune system, um, lifestyle, um choice like smoking. So, use of tobacco increases the risk of survival cancer. Chemicals and cigarettes can damage cervical cells and weaken immune defense systems. Um, early sexual activity and multiple partners. So becoming sexually active at a young age or having multiple sexual partners can increase the likelihood of the HPV exposure, yeah, which is a human hapillomus virus, you know, uh infection or virus. Yeah, um giving birth at a young age or having many children may raise a risk of um HPV. So these are all causes as to how this issue of HPV can uh manifest itself within the women's system. Now, black women, it is said, by the vote of authority, are disportionally affected. Now the reason that they give a very, very, you know, um circumspect, but I'll give you a couple, you know, why black women are more likely to develop HPVC, sorry, HPV, than any other social or any other group of women. Now, the first reason is delayed diagnosis and late stage detection. Now, it's just here black women are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of survival cancer with drastically lower survival rates. This is often due to limited access to regular screenings like PAPS MIRS and HPV tests. Second reason is medical mistrust. If you were last week, I talked about um the issue with um, you know, what Donald Trump said about the um um parasitamol or textosters is called in America or North America, and also that being used in pregnant women, yeah. And I also told you about the um book called Medical Apartheid. I left you some interviews that the author of Medical Apartheid made. So there's a history of medical mistrust, so that's another reason, particularly in the West, why black women are more likely to get uh you know uh survival cancer, yeah, because of this generational mistrust of the system of healthcare, particularly in the West, that is rooted in historical abuses like false sterilizations, yeah, and unethical experiments that leads many black men to delay or even avoid care. Yeah, another reason is also there's um healthcare inequality, particularly in the West. Uh, black women are less likely to receive timely follow-up care after abnormal screenings, yeah. And this is blackdoctor.org. Also, uh, implicit bias in healthcare can lead to medical providers deprioritizing preventive care or failing to explain procedures properly where black women are concerned, yeah. So there's also another reason is lack of information and outreach. Many black women, and this is also in Ghana and Africa as well, not just the West, but many black women report not receiving adequate education about HPV, survival cancer, or the importance of screaming. Again, this is blackdoctor.org, we can get this information. So these are some of the reasons why, yeah, it is alleged that black women are disproportionately affected by um survival cancer, and so this is why uh the healthcare system in Ghana is wearing a program specifically targeting young children under 18, yeah, for this HPV vaccine. Now, for me, I'm very skeptical about this, and I'll tell you why. So, as I mentioned, if you are a regular listener to um Ghana African Vectors, you understand that I'm against vaccines per se, given the historical context and also the modern-day context. So, for example, the modern the historical context, and I mentioned this before the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, whereby they gave um black men in particular, both some black women, but black men in particular, African-American men, uh the syphilis disease by injecting them. And they were told at the time that it was it was an experiment, it was nothing serious. Yeah, and that susky syphilis experiment ended up in many black men unknownly at the time, unknowingly. So they didn't know that they're going to be injected with this syphilis infection, contracting syphilis, and this was then given to black women when these black men had sexual intercourse with their partners. Yep. So that's one example of why I'm skeptical. The historical um abuse, and that's one example. Another example by historical abuse, you know, uh during our enslavement, many medical um experiments, yeah, took place, particularly on black women, yeah, on the slave plantations of the Caribbean, North South America, and in Africa as well, but not but to a small degree. And these experiments were used basically as social engineering and to justify why, in the white man's eye, black people were inferior. Yeah. And also in Australia, if you look at the um the lock hospitals, how they treated Aboriginal people when the British, you know, terrorized Australia and captured their people, the Aboriginal people, and put them in these lock hospitals, right? And did many experiments on them, you know, uh that shows you some of the historical uh you know damage that's been done in terms of particularly black women and the healthcare field. Now, the modern day aspect, you know, I can give you again two some examples from that. Many in you know, in Israel, and even before coming to Israel, many Ethiopian Jewish women were sterilized in most cases without their consent, yeah. And because of the sterilization, yeah, many, many um, you know, many many black women in Ethiopia have not been able to give uh childbirth, they're not been able to have children, yeah. And this was done, yeah, in round about 10 years ago. So many Ethiopian women, right, in Israeli-run transit camps were reported to be told that they had to accept depovera injections in order to receive aid or be allowed to emigrate to Israel. Yeah, many were unaware the shots were contraceptives, yeah. And this one is taken from the Center for Genetics and Society, yeah. So between 2005 and 2008, 60% of the Israeli women who received the depot their were of Ethiopian origin, despite Ethiopians making less than 2% of the population. Now, because of this injection that they were given, yeah, without their consent, yeah, the Ethiopian community saw, now check this, a 50% drop in birth rates over a decade with the concerns about perpetual control. And this is from the uh independent um newspaper in the UK. Okay, so this shows you today, even this is not long ago, this is the 2000s, yeah, how injections were given to black women in the in Israel unknowingly, yeah, but as a could led to rapidly falling birth rates among Ethiopians in in Israel. And the last example I'll give you as to why I'm skeptical about this, the modern day example, we're talking about history, now we're looking at modern day. So I've talked about the Ethiopian Jews, yeah. This is what, not even 20 years ago? And COVID now, COVID. Yeah, uh the vaccination for COVID at the time. Look at how many of us were manipulated to take the COVID vaccine, that it's safe, you know, that is the only way to get out of the the vaccination, um, or rather out of the COVID crisis by mass vaccination and by what they called at the time herd immunity. But we now know, yeah, five years on, four or five years on after after COVID, yeah, that the vaccine has at best caused deaths. Yeah, and there's a famous case in the UK of a BBC new cancer judgmentist called Lisa Shaw. She took the vaccine, and with within weeks of taking the vaccine actually fell in coming and died. And if the coroner's report said that the COVID vaccine had played a part in Lisa Shaw's death. And also we know that many people taking the vaccine, right, have suffered a lot of defects like muscle, muscular pains, drugs, etc. Yeah. I know one person who, because of taking the vaccine, has got a cyst. What that means basically is that that person having children is going to be very, very impossible because of the cyst that she developed because of taking the vaccine, COVID vaccine. So, contrary to the propaganda saying that we're anti-vax, blah blah blah, this is some of the causes that people have had as a result of taking the Kirby vaccine. And this is and this is what means my concern to why this program for me, the HPV vaccine program in Ghana, particularly in that young girls under 21, is for me disturbing. Yeah, because do we know for surety what's in the vaccine? Do you really know what's in the vaccine? You know, because the vaccines are not made in Ghana. Not made in Ghana, they're made somewhere else, made probably in in a laboratory. We don't know, but what we do know within every vaccine, any western medicine, that there are side effects. Yeah. So what are gonna be the side effects of uh young girls in Ghana taking this HPV HPV vaccine? Yeah, also we know that it is alleged that some of our health professionals in Ghana have been working with the um WHO to ensure that the vaccine is safe and that there's no danger to uh young women uh that you know take the vaccine. Yeah, but I keep on saying this, right? At the end of the day, it's about sovereignty. And at the end of the day, despite those Ghanaian professionals working and tandling with the WHO, you still don't know, we still don't know what's in the vaccine. You don't know what's in the vaccine, they could say anything to make you think in your mind that that vaccine is right for you and it's okay and it's safe. Isn't this what we were told with COVID, the vaccine, that it's safe, that it's been tested, that he's been all it's been it's had all the rigorous testing procedures. And yet we know people that died from taking that COVID vaccine. We know many, many others that have been, you know, injured. Yeah, and the fact is that blood clots as a result of taking the vaccine. So I'm very skeptical, very, very skeptical about, you know, and and very, very disturbed that the government of Ghana are allowing this HPV vaccine program to be rolled out. Now, some of you are gonna say, you know, what's the alternative? What is the alternative? And I keep on saying this, but before I get to the to that, you know, what do we know, right? That could be the long-term effects of this thing. Now I know that in Kenya and Rwanda, you know, they've had this program, you know, a few years ago, and that it's been a relative success. That's fine. But, you know, not everyone is the same, even though we're Africans, right? Not everyone is the same. One vaccine may be good for you, it may not be good for the next person. But my concern is this another concern I've got is this. You may not be aware of it or may not believe it, but you can do your own research here. Eugenic is at hand at eugenics. You know, I mentioned this is why I mentioned the issue to do with them ethio and Jews in Israel being sterilized, women being sterilized, and that's resulting now to a 50% reduction in the birth rates of um Ethiopian Jews in Israel, population control. You don't think that the same population control that people have as an agenda, particularly where African people are concerned, because they know they know by next 20, 30 years, one in four people is going to be African. That's what this is not my saying. This is what they're saying. The Western demographics are saying that by 2050, one in four people will be African. And and the African continent, yeah. Or rather, in terms of the world, the majority of young people, at least one in three young people will be black, be African. Yeah. And the implications that of that, in terms of Africa itself, but more importantly, the West, whereby you've got declining birth rates, you've also got an aging population, and then you've got also problems with you know migration. Yeah. So you don't think that people want to um ensure that the African population does not grow to an extent? And so when you give potential mothers HPV vaccine, that we don't know, really know for sure 100% what's in the vaccine, are you telling me that there's no there's going to be no side effects? That down the line, when these young girls, 17, 15, 16, 18, taking this HPV vaccine 10 minutes somewhere down the line, when they're about 25, 26, 27, and when when they want to have a family. You don't think some of them are not going to have a family, don't be able to have children because of the vaccine. I told you about the cyst in one of my friends by taking COVID, that is now basically she's gonna have children, or very likely that she can have children. You see, these are some of the questions we must ask as Africans. Don't take a face value everything people tell us. We've got to do our own research as Africans, yeah? Same now come to solutions, but you're thinking some of you are saying if they don't take the HPV vaccine, what's the alternative? I'm gonna give the alternative right now as a um cursor for you to do your own research into this. So African medicinal plants, like I said last week when I came to you know, talk about the Trump issue with um parasitomo, yeah. Africa, we've got medicine plants that our ancestors used for thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years, yeah. And now great, and particularly our mothers, those that were born in the villages, right? They know because this is something that would have gone through the rest of the passage, or something that their grandmothers would have would have taught them. They know of the medicinal plants for every single ailment, whether it's um high blood pressure, diabetes, you know, certain forms of cancers, etc. Our women know what medicine plants to use because they're taught by their grandmothers and their great-grandmothers. And so I'm gonna give you some MISA plants that can be used for protection and healing. Yeah, this is linked to the HPV, yeah. So neem, neem is used across West Africa in Ghana. We call it in Canada or Prince Charles, yeah. So so um neem is is used for its antiviral and anti percep antibacterial properties, often booted the T or used in vaginal washers to cleanse and protect. Here you go. So that alone, the the neem, when it's used for and because of its antiviral, yeah, antiviral, HPV, HPV, her popular virus, yeah, antiviral and antibacterial properties. You don't think the neem can protect the HPV that women could get another um herb or plant called moringa. This is known as the miracle tree. It boosts immunity and balances hormones and supports overall wellness. African basil called ethirin or in changing in changu, used in Nigeria and Ghana for its antimicrobial effects and spiritual cleansing. Another one here called Sutherlandia, cancer bush, used in southern Africa to strengthen the immune system and fight viral infections. Yeah, hibiscus, yeah, that that is used to make sublim, the dream that we call sobolo in West Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, and others, rich in antioxidants and used to regulate menstrual cycles in women and support reproductive health. And the last one is bulb fruit B O A B A B fruit. This is high in vitamin C and antidoxants that supports the immune system, the immune function and cellular repair. Yeah, so just to give you these herbs in context, like these municipal plants in context, right? In many African traditions, white, these medicine plants, why, is about it's not it's not just about the healing the body, right? It's about restoring balance with ancestors, nature, and the community. So rituals and prayers that accompany these subtreatments ensure full spectrum healing. And this is something that we don't understand as Africans today because many of us have become used to Western medicine, Western culture. These medicine plants in our African traditions, right, is used for healing the body and also bringing it back to life, yeah, and bringing it back to balance with the ancestors and nature. And so for me, you know, this is what we should be looking at in terms of alternative solutions and remedies for um, you know, uh the HPV issue that we have with our women. Now, again, you know, I can give you some herbs, some measurements of plants. Let me talk about some herbs that can be used for HPV and survival health.

SPEAKER_01: 26:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 26:52

So these herbs, right, is not so-called a cure, in quote, in terms of the Western medical sense. However, they are used to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation, and support the body's ability to heal itself from viruses, particularly the HPV virus in our women. So these herboremed include curcumin, right? This is from turmeric, and is known for its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies suggest that it inhibits HPV infected cells and reduces the risk of survival cancer. Check this now. This is cheap, this is curcumin from turmeric. So this is proof that you don't need a vaccine because turmeric or curcumin that comes from turmeric has antiviral and anti-family properties that can reduce the risk of survival cancer. Let me give you another um herbal remedy. Yeah, green tea. Green tea is used in some African herbal blends, yeah, has shown great promise in clearing HPV related related issues. Yeah, folate and B12, which is basically from green leafy vegetables and herbs. That's it. This is essential for DNA repair and cellular health. Deficiencies are linked, so deficiencies in for late and B12 are linked to higher risk of survival uh cancer. Yeah, mushrooms as well is another um herbal remedy, yeah, particularly um mushroom types like turkey tail and reshi. This is used in traditional medicine to boost immunity and fight viral infections, or which APV HPV that causes HPV cancer is a viral infection. So these mushrooms can be used to boost immunity that fight viral infections. And these mushrooms are increasingly popular in African herbal markets. And the last one I'll use is the classic garlic and ginger. Garlic and ginger are common in many African diets and healing rituals, both have antiviral and immune-boosting properties. Yeah? See, these are just some of the herbs along with the medicine plants that have outlined as solutions and alternatives to taking the HPV vaccine. Yeah. So, and these herbs are safe because this is what our mothers, our great grandmothers, our great great great mothers, our ancestors, this is what they used. There were no vaccine 200 years ago, there was no vaccine even probably 100 years. Ago HPV HPV. So, what did the women use then? They use the natural medicinal herbs as well as herbal remedies to ensure that they not develop the uh conditions that will lead to HPV. And so, my what I'm saying in conclusion is that we need to be very, very circumspect about taking vaccines that have side effects and that are not conclusive, and more importantly, that we don't know the totality of the ingredients that they're made of. I just want you to think that's all. I'm not necessarily anti-vaxxed, but I might have my circum circ circumspect. B there's a history of people organizations using vaccines of some sort to destroy African communities. And I'll give you a history that you can research for yourselves. And see what is the real agenda behind these things that that that they want to give these vaccine programs. Yeah. What's the real agenda? Because I said to you that my agenda, which I think is perpetual control, and the black woman is the mother of reproduction. Yeah. What is the real agenda behind this? Is it really health care or is it perpetual control? And finally, our history shows that there are medicine plants and herbal remedies that African people, as Africans, we can use, in this case, our women can use, to prevent them from getting HPV. And so I'm just throwing this out there because for me, I'm very disturbed that we are rowing out a program without doing our own due diligence and particularly and particularly doing our African-centered research to come to the conclusion if this vaccine is good for us. Yeah. Without really understanding the long-term consequences it could have for reproductive and uh growth in Africa. And so I thank you for listening to this special edition of Ghana Infocus with myself, Kwame, Ghanaian writer, broadcaster, journalist, historian, podcaster, entrepreneur. Uh, in next week's edition of Ghana Infects, we're looking at health through healthcare. This issue about prostate cancer, it's still a huge issue, particularly among black men. I've talked about HPV for black women. Now we're going to talk about prostate cancer for black men. Yeah? So you don't want to miss that. Again, subscribe to the show via YouTube. Look out for Ghana African Fix on YouTube. Hit the notification bell, and YouTube will notify you every time we upload a new podcast. Subscribe to Ghana African Fix on Spotify. Hit the follow button, and Spotify will notify you of every time we upload a new podcast. Alright, so for myself, Kwame, from the crew here on Ghana in Focus. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you next week for some more Ghana in Focus.