Cervical cancer can be prevented, says Malabag

HEALTH and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag says cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be prevented through vaccination worldwide.
Malabag said at the official launching of the 2017 Cervical Cancer Vaccination Pilot project in National Capital District at Parliament House yesterday that the project paved way for the national rollout of the vaccination in 2018.
“Cervical cancer is the number one cancer among women in PNG and its results in an estimated 1500 deaths per year,” Malabag said.
“Worldwide countries introduced cervical cancer vaccine into vaccination programmes and significantly reduced cervical cancer rates in their respective countries. More than 200 million doses of the HPV vaccine have been administered over 10 years and the vaccine has been proven to be very effective in preventing cervical cancer with almost nil side effects,” Malabag said.
He thanked partners Rotary Club of Boroko, World Health Organisation, Unicef, the United States Embassy, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and other development partners and government departments for their input in the project.
Lynda Babao-O’Neill appealed to all parents of the target age group (9-14-year-olds) to ensure their daughters have the opportunity to be vaccinated and be protected against developing cervical cancer in the future.
“The launching brings so much hope and lifts the helplessness, HPV vaccination will prevent the next generation of our girls, our daughters from suffering from cervical cancer. They do not have to go through what my generation and the generation before me had gone through. They can grow up and see their children grow up.
“It is heart breaking to see the physical and financial struggle women face with their families when affected by cervical cancer with private facilities in the country treatment has been unavailable to many,” she said.