A woman receiving an HPV vaccine. (Photo courtesy Vietnam Vaccine Centre) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The number of women with cervical cancer isincreasing in Vietnam, health experts warned.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than500,000 new cases are reported and about 250,000 women die from cervical cancereach year globally.
If there were not proper preventive measures, by 2030, thenumber of cases globally will reach 700,000 and 400,000 deaths.
Meanwhile, each year Vietnam has about 4,177 new cases and2,420 deaths due to this disease.
About 37 million women aged 15 years and older are inthe high-risk group for cervical cancer, ranking third among cancers amongwomen aged from 15 to 44.
Notably, the number of people infected is increasing formany reasons, said doctor Bach Thi Chinh, director of the Vietnam VaccineCentre (VNVC).
The main reasons were due to a lack of vaccinations, neglect of periodicscreenings and not being properly treated, she said.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that’s passedbetween people through skin-to-skin contact.
There are over 140 varieties of HPV, of which strainsNo. 16 and 18 can cause 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, Chinh said.
It was estimated that 80 percent of women will contract at least one typeof HPV during their lifetime, the doctor said.
HPV is very contagious, so the number of cases is always highand forecast to continue to increase.
This virus is not only sexually transmitted but can betransmitted by other ways such as mother to child, through infected objects,self-infection or from medical interventions with insufficient sterilisation,childhood exposure, co-infection from sexually transmitted diseases,immunodeficiency, smoking, drinking alcohol and possibly use of birth controlpills.
Cervical lesions are not detected earlier and treatedpromptly which might develop into cancer due to women givingbirth many times, unsanitary conditions, psychological fear ofgynaecological examination and lack of periodic medical screenings, she said.
The cancer does not have a clear manifestation so it is easyto skip the early stage without regular examination with good doctors andmodern equipment.
When patients who experience burning pain during sex, unusualvaginal bleeding after intercourse, between menopause or post-menopause just goto see a doctor, it is usually too late.
At this time, the tumor has progressed and is at risk ofinvading many other organs, Chinh said.
According to doctor Dinh Thi Hien Le, former vice-head of theEcology Department of Tam Anh General Hospital in Hanoi, although there arevaccines to prevent cervical cancer and many dangerous diseases caused by HPV,the number of vaccines available in Vietnam is limited, so not many peoplecould access them.
In addition, many people did not know about vaccines and cervical cancer orwere not yet been able to use the vaccine, so the number of cases has seen nosign of decreasing.
“Witnessing the devastating effects of this disease on womenphysically and mentally, could we then understand the importance of vaccines,”said the doctor.
“Early vaccination combined with periodic gynaecologicalexamination and screening every six months for those aged 21 to 65 wouldcreate an effective protective ring,” she said.
“If the disease was detected at an early stage, propertreatment would reduce psychological stress and preserve reproductivefunction,” she said.
In Vietnam, the vaccine is recommended for persons aged 9 to26 with three doses over six months.
This year, the WHO launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination ofcervical cancer.
Accordingly, by the year 2030, at least 90 percent of girlswould be vaccinated for cervical cancer before 15 years old, 70 percent ofwomen would be given cervical cancer screening twice before 35 and 45, andat least 90 percent of infected women would receive proper and adequatetreatment.
In Vietnam, the VNVC is committed to providing enough HPV vaccines to allpeople./.
VNA
