By Usman Aliyu
A United States-based Nigerian communication scholar, Mr Habeeb Abdulrauf, says Artificial Intelligence (AI) could become a decisive tool in Nigeria’s fight against cervical cancer, according to his new research.
Abdulrauf said the study showed that AI could help overcome public distrust that had long affected uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the country.
In the research article obtained on Thursday by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), titled “How AI Can Rescue Nigeria’s Fight Against Cervical Cancer,” he warned that Nigeria faced a “silent public health crisis.”
Abdulrauf, an AI and social robotics researcher at Western Michigan University, said thousands of women die annually from a largely preventable disease caused by HPV.
“Yet, the tragedy is not the absence of a solution. It is the failure to translate available solutions into public action,” he said.
He said that in spite of the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, uptake in Nigeria remained very low.
His study, conducted at Western Michigan University using data from young Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones, found low uptake of the HPV vaccine among respondents.
It showed that only 6.4 per cent of participants had received at least one dose, while 88.4 per cent had not been vaccinated.
He attributed the gap not only to access challenges but also to a deeper crisis of trust in public health communication.
“For decades, public health communication in Nigeria has struggled with credibility,” he noted, citing vaccine resistance during polio eradication and hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abdulrauf said the challenge was further worsened by reliance on informal digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok, where misinformation often spread faster than verified health information.
Against this backdrop, his research tested whether AI could provide a more trusted channel for health communication.
Using a WhatsApp-style chatbot interface, the study compared HPV vaccine messages attributed to an AI assistant with those attributed to government sources.
“The findings were both surprising and instructive.
“AI-delivered messages performed just as well as government messages in terms of credibility, effectiveness and vaccination intention,” he said.
He explained that AI systems might reduce skepticism often directed at official sources, creating a neutral space for communication.
However, he noted that existing trust in government and prior vaccine attitudes still strongly influenced vaccination intentions.
“This tells us that while new communication tools matter, they must operate within a broader ecosystem of trust,” he said.
Abdulrauf added that conversational and human-like messaging significantly improved engagement and understanding.
“It’s not just what is communicated, but how it is communicated,” he said.
He called for the integration of AI-driven tools into public health campaigns, especially on platforms widely used by young people, to improve access to accurate health information.
“Nigeria is not alone in facing vaccine hesitancy. But it has an opportunity to lead by adopting innovative, technology-driven approaches that align with the realities of a digital and trust-sensitive society,” he said.
He emphasised that cervical cancer remained preventable, adding that the key challenge was translating awareness into action.
“The tools already exist. The question is whether Nigeria is ready to rethink how it communicates,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
AUO/AMM
========
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
