Mothers play an important role in shaping their daughters’ lives—and this includes helping ensure her future health by protecting them at an early age from potentially fatal illnesses such as cervical cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Filipinas.
The Department of Health, supported by the Department of Education and Department of the Interior and Local Government, recognizes the integral role of mothers in helping their daughters understand the importance of early protection from Human Papillomavirus (HPV)—the leading cause of cervical cancer.
The DOH’s School-Based Immunization Program recently reached Lakeshore Hall in Taguig City, where mothers accompanied their young daughters aged 9 to 13 years old in receiving their first dose of quadrivalent HPV vaccine that is administered by the government for free as part of its expanded program on immunization.
The HPV vaccination program is targeted to make protection against HPV-related diseases such as cervical cancer more accessible to Filipino womenespecially for those who can’t afford the costs of immunization.
Dr. Jennifer Co, OB-GYN and Infectious Disease specialist, noted that one dose of the vaccine can range from Php3,000 to 4,000. Young female students from 9 to 13 years of age would need two doses of HPV vaccine. Meanwhile, adult females up to 45 years old would follow the three dose regimen schedule.
Under the HPV SBIP, more parents learn the value of having their daughters vaccinated at a young age through awareness and education seminars that are held before the schools ask for their consent. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine is most recommended to be administered to girls aged 9 to 13 years of age because they still have optimum immune resistance to the infection.
HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that causes more than 90 percent of cervical cancer cases. It can also lead to genital warts, and other malignancies such as anal and oropharynx cancer in both men and women, vaginal and vulvar cancer in women, and penile cancer in men.
In the rise of cervical cancer incidence, with an estimate of 6,000 new cases reported every year in the Philippines, the value of HPV vaccination cannot be underestimated and many more mothers have been joining the fight for an HPV-free future.
“I received 3 doses of HPV vaccine. Since I’m a mother myself, I realized that my daughter also needs protection from HPV. All the young girls here today are fortunate. You will receive this for free thanks to the DOH and city government of Taguig,” said Annette Cristobal, Principal, CP Sta. Teresa Elementary School.
The mothers who accompanied their daughters at the activity equally believed in the benefits of HPV immunization and encouraged other mothers to get their daughters vaccinated under the government vaccination program.
“As a mother of one of the recipients of the HPV vaccine, I encourage other mothers to get their children vaccinated so they can help protect themselves against HPV. I believe prevention is better than cure,” said Geraldine Obuyes, mother of Crystal Obuyes who will be receiving her second dose of HPV vaccine.
“When we grow up, we already have something that will help protect us against HPV and cervical cancer. We should not be afraid to get vaccinated because the vaccine has been tested and proven for decades.”
HPV screening and prevention through vaccination should be a priority for women—as affirmed by the mothers who supported their daughters in joining the DOH’s SBIP so that they can live a life free from cervical cancer and other diseases associated with HPV infection.