WHO calls for intensified campaign vs cervical cancer

MANILA, Philippines — To eliminate cervical cancer in the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia by 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for an intensified human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization.

The WHO stressed the need for all countries in the region to expand vaccination, screening and treatment to curb the rising cases of cervical cancer.

“We need to scale up both our capacities and quality for screening, treatment services and palliative care,” WHO Southeast Asia regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said.

Vaccination against HPV, early detection and prompt treatment of early invasive cancers and palliative care are proven effective strategies to address cervical cancer, according to Singh.

He said member countries should work toward a target of 90 percent of girls fully inoculated with the HPV vaccine by age 15.

He added that Southeast Asian countries should also be able to screen 75 percent of women who are 35 and 45 years old and 90 percent of women identified with the cervical disease should receive treatment and care by 2030.

 “It is necessary to include these services in the essential services packages toward universal health coverage to meet the targets,” Singh said.

Cervical cancer is considered a significant public health problem in the region, with  an estimated 158,000 new cases and 95,766 deaths reported due to illness in 2018 alone.

The WHO is prioritizing cervical cancer elimination as worldwide cervical cancer remains one of the gravest threats to women’s lives.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) has been implementing a school-based HPV immunization program.

As this developed, health experts are also campaigning for regular screening to address the high number of lung cancer deaths in the country.

Oncologist Meredith Garcia said lung cancer is currently the leading cause of death among Filipino cancer patients. In 2018, over 15,000 deaths were recorded due to lung cancer.

Garcia, however, said the problem can be addressed by early diagnosis and treatment. She encouraged the people to undergo regular screening, considering that some forms of cancer, like lung cancer, is commonly asymptomatic.

Garcia also advised cancer patients against alternative medicine, which, she said, puts patients at greater health risks.

The survival rate among lung cancer patients has significantly improved in the past years with the availability of new treatment, according to medical experts.