TO BOLSTER the campaign against cervical cancer, the Davao City Health Office (CHO) will provide free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for women starting June 1 to 5.
Based on a report from Davao City Information Office (CIO), this is in line with observance of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month every month of May. This campaign is backed by Proclamation No. 368, signed in 2003.
City Health Officer Josephine Villafuerte said they have 10,000 vaccines available. Qualified to get these vaccines are girls aged nine to 13 and women up to 45 years old.
The HPV vaccine costs P3,500 to P4,500 per dose in private clinics.
Villafuerte said the HPV vaccines came from the Department of Health so there was no need for the city to allocate a budget for it.
Based on the data from World Health Organization (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. It is also the second leading cause of death among women in the Philippines, next only to breast cancer.
Moreover, the WHO also reported that 99 percent of cervical cancer cases, which is the most common reproductive tract viral infection, are linked to genital infection with HPV. HPV infections are transmitted through sexual contact and also through skin-to-skin contact.
Women can protect themselves from cervical cancer through sexual abstinence, monogamy, regular screening and vaccination.
Persistent genital HPV infections can cause cervical cancer in women.
Department of Health data also shows that 12 Filipino women die from cervical cancer every day, even if it can be prevented early through screening and vaccination.