LINGAYEN—The Provincial Health Office (PHO), in cooperation with PQ Healthshield, Inc., held a health symposium last October 7 at the Pangasinan Development and Training on how to protect women from cervical cancer, dubbed “A Peril to the Pinay at Her Prime”.

LDR Medics resource speaker, Dr. Paul Adrian Pinlac, said that in the Philippines, cervical cancer is the second leading killer cancer among women. Worldwide, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes.

“Every woman is at risk, everyday, 12 Filipino women die of cervical cancer,” Pinlac said.

Pinlac explained that cervical cancer is caused by a common virus known as HPV or the Human Papilloma Virus and easily transmitted by skin-to-skin genital contact even as he said that condom usage may not adequately protect individuals.

Pinlac also bared that according to survey, 50 to 80 percent of women will acquire an HPV infection or the “minority cases” in their lifetime (e.g. skin warts).

Usually, half of those women could be infected with cancer-causing HPV or the “high-risk” HPV types that may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer, which usually happens soon after their first sexual encounter.

However, most infections with these types do not cause disease.

As this developed, the PQ Healthshield sought the help of the provincial government through the PHO to educate and familiarize Pangasinenses on how to protect themselves from cervical cancer and at the same time intensify their campaign against cervical cancer in the province and in the country.

According to Pinlac, regular screening and vaccination can protect women and their family from this preventable disease.

PQ Healthshield has formulated a cervical cancer vaccine at an affordable price.

More information is available at the PHO office at the Kalantiao Building in Lingayen. (PIO/Darwin Magalong)

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