May is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Each year in the Philippines, 7,897 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 4,052 die from the disease. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the Philippines, including those between the ages of 15 and 44, according to the Department of Health (DoH).
The main cause of cervical cancer is persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are transmitted through sexual contact. Common signs and symptoms of cervical cancer include blood spots or light bleeding between or following periods; menstrual bleeding that is longer and heavier than usual; bleeding after intercourse, douching, or a pelvic examination; increased vaginal discharge; pain during sexual intercourse; bleeding after menopause; and unexplained, persistent pelvic and/or back pain. The Philippines could eliminate cervical cancer by 2064 with concerted action across three “elimination pillars” identi fi ed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its “Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.
” These pillars are HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening, and cervical cancer treatment. The Strategy proposes an elimination threshold of four cases per 100,000 women, achieved by implementing the triple intervention targets by 2030: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by age 15; 70% of women screened with a high-performance test (such as the HPV DNA t.
