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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Parents urged to vaccinate daughters vs HPV

Parents urged to vaccinate daughters vs HPV

Published Sep 8, 2025 09:40 pm
PARTICIPANTS commit to fight cervical cancer during the Cebu Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit in Mandaue City on Friday, Sept. 5. (Calvin Cordova)
PARTICIPANTS commit to fight cervical cancer during the Cebu Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit in Mandaue City on Friday, Sept. 5. (Calvin Cordova)
CEBU CITY – Parents have a key role to play in the fight against cervical cancer.
During the recent Cebu Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit in Mandaue City, parents were encouraged to vaccinate their daughters against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as early as age nine-years-old.
Health experts made the call as cases of cervical cancer continue to climb in Central Visayas.
More than 100 participants attended the summit in a show of support to strengthen the fight against cervical cancer. The summit aimed to localize the national agenda by highlighting the region’s progress, challenges, and opportunities in prevention.
Participants include representatives from local government units, medical societies, advocacy groups, and patient networks.
Speakers emphasized that vaccination at an earlier age boosts immunity and helps prevent HPV from progressing into cervical cancer later in life.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Pherdes Galbo said vaccination and screening must go hand-in-hand, noting that exposure to HPV now starts younger than before.
“Our youngest now goes as young as 21-years-old and exposure starts at 13. That’s about eight years of development of cervical cancer,” Galbo said.
In a media forum held simultaneously with the summit, Dr. Joan Antonette Albito, head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Section of the Department of Health-Central Visayas (DOH-7), said cervical cancer cases in the region increased from 51 in 2021 to 241 in 2024, while deaths went up from 45 in 2021 to 163 in 2024.
Screenings climbed from 3,728 in 2021 to 14,946 in 2024.
The DOH-7 announced that it will launch a school-based HPV vaccination program in October for girls aged nine to 14.
The agency will also introduce a self-collection method for HPV-DNA testing.

Related Tags

Cervical cancer DOH-7 HPV Human papilloma virus
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