Mandaue boosts drive against cervical cancer

Fighting cervical cancer was given focus during the 4th  Women’s Summit of Mandaue City yesterday.

The city’s first lady, Sarah Walker-Cortes, the honorary chairman of Gender and Development, also plans to bring the campaign of preventing cervical cancer to the sitios and barangays of Mandaue City.

She intends to start visiting the  barangays this month and inform the public that anti-cervical vaccines are available at minimal costs in government health centers.

During the summit, 117 regular female employees of the Mandaue City Hall were given free anti-cervical cancer vaccines.

In a press conference, former Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1997 Abbygale Arenas, a cervical cancer advocate, said there are three ways to prevent cervical cancer.

She said the first step is  awareness, followed by proper cervical screening and undergoing vaccination as early as during teenage years.

Dr. Belinda Suico, regional coordinator of Cervical Cancer Prevention Network Program (CECAP), said there are about 100 known types of human papillomavirus (HPV) virus and 15 of these can cause cervical cancer.

Women can get HPV infection regardless of their age and lifestyle.  The virus is usually transmitted through sex or skin-to-skin contact of genitals even without sexual penetration.With Norman V. Mendoza