DOH TO LAUNCH FREE HPV IMMUNIZATION FOR FILIPINO GIRLS


The health department will roll out its free human papillomavirus vaccination program for all young girls in 2025 (Photo courtesy of NIAID/ABS-CBN News)
The Department of Health (DOH) will begin the free immunization program for girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) this year. Health Secretary Ted Herbosa announced that funding for this initiative was already secured through the national budget.
“The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for all girls is very important because the HPV vaccination is expensive, P4,000 per dose, two doses are needed, P8,000 per nine-year-old girl,” Herbosa said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection. It said almost all sexually active people will be infected at some point in their lives, usually without symptoms.
It said HPV usually goes away on its own without treatment. However, some infections cause genital warts. Others can cause abnormal cells to develop, which go on to become cancer.
Cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by HPV. Cancers from HPV can be prevented with vaccines, added the WHO.
Based on data from the Department of Health as of May 2023, 7,897 Filipinas are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and 4,052 die from the disease. It also ranks second in cancers among women in the country and the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44.
The program aims to counteract the rising trend of anti-vaccination sentiments, which has led to only 60 percent of children being immunized. Herbosa emphasized the importance of achieving a 95-percent immunization rate by 2025 to ensure herd immunity.
The DOH also plans to implement stronger school-based immunization programs to enhance vaccination rates. Herbosa said the HPV immunization drive could significantly bring down cervical cancer in the Philippines.
Source: ABS-CBN News
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