I’m so happy to hear that there is a vaccine against Cervical Cancer!!
At long last! A vaccine to prevent a certain type of cancer!
That’s such a breakthrough for me. My grandfather died of Cancer – and I was witness to the pain and suffering he went through. I have a very good friend who was diagnosed with Cancer last year – thankfully, she’s in remission already!
I was shocked to learn that women and men can die of this! I always assumed that Cervical cancer was a cancer that hit only women. Most Pinays would steer away from visiting an OB-Gyne for fear that they will be branded negatively. I personally have never visited one – I never thought I needed to, I always assumed that going to the OB-Gyne meant that you were expecting or trying to conceive. But after hearing talk about Cervical cancer – I realized, I thought wrong. We women have to take time out to visit our doctors, get a regular check-up and update ourselves on the vaccine that prevents Cervical Cancer.
Dr. Manalastas gave a very informative talk – I found it upsetting though – that the vaccine has been in the country for quite a while, but how come I’ve never heard of it? Spreading the information was quite slow, I mean a LOT of women (and men) can benefit from this vaccine, why not do a full blown campaign? I mean, this vaccine prevents a certain type of cancer – that should be a phenomenon, but why is it not?
Through my blog, I hope to help spread the word that indeed Cervical Cancer can be prevented. I have been encouraging friends who have daughters in their teens to get this vaccine – I mean shelling out a certain amount, will prevent their daughters to contract HPV that develops into Cervical Cancer.
To my female readers, visit your OB-Gyne (I know it’s taboo in our culture, but it’ll help you, believe me!!), get a Pap-Smear and if possible, get the vaccine.
As they say, health is wealth – prevention is key guys!!
Hello! Thanks for letting me know. I will read more about this. Thanks for dropping by! 🙂
some clarifications. men cant have cervical cancer because we dont have a cervix. what Dr. Manalastas probably means is that men can also be infected by HPV which can be transmitted to women. HPV infection in men is usually asymptomatic but can also manifest as genital warts.
unfortunately the price of the vaccine is very high even with a full blown campaign for low income filipinos. and you need to have 3 doses of the vaccine which can cost you more than 15thou! 🙁
Hi Kiko! I agree that the vaccines are costly – but I think there are people who are trying to pull down the prices. The campaign is fairly new, I hope we can give them a chance. I mean, we all have to agree that prevention is key! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
hey thanks for dropping by my blog also. you can contact me at ancisq[at]gmail.com 🙂
very informative post, but then again, i hope this time, it’s for real… they really should check about side effects as your anonymous blogger has commented… thanks for the link and for dropping by… 🙂
Hi Kiko! Will contact you. Thanks!
Hey Mikky – I think there’s constant testing and improvements naman for the vaccine. Thanks again!
hi! gardasil is a safe drug for the prevention of HPV. not everyone may get side effects but even if they do, its just as simple as what you can get from flu vaccine (e.g. nausea, dizziness, muscle pain, fever, lbm…)
my husband’s clinic is offering this to young ladies between 9-27 yrs of age. kiko is correct, gardasil will be given in a series of 3 shots. you can get your 2nd shot 2 months after your 1st and the 3rd shot, 4 months after the 2nd. the cost for this is Php5,500 per shot. my husband, dr. dave, will not require you to pay for the whole thing so you may have time to save… or should you wish to pay outright, a special discount may be arranged. health should always be given a priority…think about it ladies!
hi cherry! my husband attended medical conventions and seminars regarding the hpv vaccine. i don't see anything wrong to rave at something i think is helpful and great. while i respect your views, may i just quote the following:
"The National Cancer Institute says, "FDA-approved Gardasil prevented nearly 100 percent of the precancerous cervical cell changes caused by the types of HPV targeted by the vaccine for up to 4 years after vaccination."[16] The vaccine is believed to be effective for longer, but for how long, and whether a booster shot will be needed is still being studied.
Darren Brown, Indiana University, reported at the 2007 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that Gardasil had 38% efficacy against 10 other HPV types responsible for >20% of cervical cancer cases.
As of 30 June 2008, out of over 16 million doses of Gardasil distributed in the United States, there have been 9,749 reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) following Gardasil vaccination. Gardasil has less than half the average percentage of serious reports. "It is important to note that a report to VAERS does not mean there is a connection between the vaccine and the event. It means the event took place following vaccination." The FDA and CDC said that with millions of vaccinations “by chance alone some serious adverse effects and deaths” will occur in the time period following vaccination, but have nothing to do with the vaccine. Although at least 20 women who received the Gardasil vaccine have died, there is no evidence that deaths or serious outcomes were connected to the shot. Where information was available, the cause of death was explained by other factors. Likewise, although a small number of cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have been reported following vaccination with Gardasil. there is no evidence linking GBS to the vaccine."
Please visit this site for more info:
cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/FDA_and_CDC_Statement.htm
thanks for your intense concern though…