CERVICAL CANCER: What every woman should know about HPV

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and Good Health Weekly wants you to know that there’s a lot you can do to prevent cervical cancer.

Good Health Weekly is raising awareness about this critical public health issue because there are millions of women who are either living with cervical cancer or are at great risk.

It is a chance to share information about how women can protect themselves from HPV (Human Papillomavirus) and cervical cancer. HPV is a very common infection that spreads through sexual activity, and it causes almost all cases of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer often begins with abnormal changes in the cervical tissue. The risk of developing these abnormal changes is associated with infection with the HPV.

Cervical cancer is slow-growing, so its progression through precancerous changes provides opportunities for prevention, early detection, and treatment.

The Cervical Cancer Crisis Card launched by the Cervical Cancer Free Coalition, shows that more women die of cervical cancer in Nigeria than any other country except India, China, Brazil and Bangladesh.

An estimated 10,000 deaths are recorded in Nigeria (ranked 5th)every year with a cervical cancer mortality rate of 22.9 deaths per 100,000. The top 10 countries with the highest cervical cancer mortality rates are in Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa has 22 percent of all cervical cancer cases worldwide.

According to the Crisis Card, by 2030, almost half a million women will die of cervical cancer, with over 98 percent of these deaths expected to occur in the low and middle- income countries.

On the average, 26 Nigerian women lose their lives due to cervical cancer every day and a further 14,000 women are diagnosed each year. Cervical cancer can be almost entirely prevented through the use of vaccines that are being used around the world.

Millions of women currently have HPV, but many don’t know they are infected.

Research shows that factors such as early sexual debut, multiple sexual partners, and taking oral contraceptives increase the risk of cervical cancer because they lead to greater exposure to HPV.

However, cervical cancer can often be prevented with regular screening tests and follow-up care. All women are encouraged to to start getting regular cervical cancer screenings.

As parents, you should make sure that your daughters pre-teens get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12. Teens and young adults also need to get the HPV vaccine if they didn’t get it as pre-teens. Women up to age 26 and men up to age 21 can still get the vaccine.

Cervical cancer is an entirely preventable disease and the second largest cancer killer of women in low and middle-income countries.

The high incidence of cervical cancer can be brought down primarily through HPV vaccination for those not sexually exposed and those who test negative for HPV DNA.

Prevention through regular annual PAP smear screening or Visual Inspection through Acetic acid, VIA, testing.

Cervical cancer is a preventable cancer, but there are still so many deaths. Indeed, cervical cancer in Nigeria and in sub-Saharan as a whole must be given the same priority as other disorders.

Women are encouraged to visit their health provider for early screening and testing to help diagnose precancerous cells.