Karachi [Pakistan], August 13 (ANI): National health stakeholders on Tuesday called for greater advocacy and public awareness to ensure the success of Sindh’s upcoming human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, set to launch in September for schoolgirls aged nine to 14, Dawn reported.
The HPV vaccine protects against genital warts and most cases of cervical cancer. Estimates cited by Dawn indicate that every year in Pakistan, 5,008 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 3,197 die from the disease. It is the third most common cancer among women nationwide and the second among those aged 15 to 44.
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An event titled Safeguarding Girls’ Futures, organised by Aga Khan University’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, aimed to raise awareness about HPV, share global evidence on the vaccine and address cultural, religious and gender-related concerns. The event was attended in person and virtually by public health experts, representatives of non-governmental organisations and government officials, including Muslima Ejaz, Fyezah Jehan, Karim F. Damji, Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Iqbal Baloch, Quamrun Nahar, Paul Bloem and Afshan Issani.
“Science is offering us the chance to prevent cervical cancer before it begins,” said Ejaz, as quoted by Dawn. “Globally, cervical cancer claims over 300,000 women’s lives each year, with the greatest toll in low and middle-income countries. In Pakistan, it remains the leading cancer in women, often diagnosed far too late. But today, we are not here to speak only of disease. We are here to speak about prevention.”
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Jehan said HPV infection rates depend on factors such as age, gender, sexual behaviour and geography. “There are more than 200 types [of HPV] which are known to us, and these are mostly classified for risk purposes into low-risk and high-risk types,” she said. “Infections in the low-risk [type] are mostly asymptomatic and self-resolving. However, HPV 16 and 18 — the virus strains of particular interest — are among 14 high-risk HPV types responsible for 70-80 per cent of all cervical cancer cases. These deaths are entirely preventable, but only if we act early.”
Baloch said, “The target [of the vaccine campaign] is around four million, out of which 50pc are in school and 50pc are out of school. Mostly the focus would be on girls aged nine to 14 years.” He noted that Gavi, a global health partnership, was providing support, but stressed the need for stronger advocacy from parents, teachers, paediatricians and gynaecologists.
Jehan said the cost and supply of the HPV vaccine were not an issue, with global donor agencies, particularly Gavi, ensuring doses were available free of charge through the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. “This is a vaccine that people used to pay Rs7,000 for; now it is completely free and easily accessible,” she told Dawn. She cautioned that public perception could pose a barrier and said reaching the two million out-of-school girls would be a major challenge.
Issani said, “There are very few strategies that can be used to prevent cancer, and the cervical cancer vaccine is one of them.”
Last month, the District Health Authority in Chiniot announced plans to immunise 111,101 girls aged nine to 14 against HPV, Dawn reported. In March, health experts at a seminar in Peshawar also advised women to undergo regular checkups for cervical cancer screening. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia’s leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)
