Update: Mother-Daughter Initiative to Prevent Cervical Cancer Underway in Thailand, Philippines
April 25, 2011 at 10:24 am Leave a comment
Jhpiego staff receive a warm welcome in a Philippine village where a new cervical cancer prevention initiative is underway.
The program, operating in the Philippines and Thailand, uses cervical cancer prevention screenings to educate women on the benefits of vaccinating their daughters against a virus that causes cervical cancer.
A unique cervical cancer prevention program is underway in Thailand and the Philippines that relies on the special bond between mothers and daughters. The goal of the Jhpiego-supported demonstration project and study is to educate women about a leading cause of cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV), and protect the next generation by vaccinating young girls, ages 9-13, against HPV. Cervical cancer is the primary cancer killer of women in the developing world.
Results from the program will help guide development and expansion of a vaccination program that is based in facilities where cervical cancer screening and treatment occurs.
Capitalizing on the strong networks of government-supported community health and cervical cancer prevention services in Thailand and the Philippines, the program — a joint effort with Merck and Co., the Cancer Institute Foundation of the Philippines, and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand — hopes to vaccinate 4,000 girls in each country over 18-months.
Health providers at local clinics and facilities are reaching out to women who are screened for cervical cancer and educating them on the benefits of the HPV vaccine, using key messages such as “Protect Your Daughter! Protect Yourself.”
So far, 989 girls in the Philippines and 736 in Thailand have received the first dose of the vaccine.
Community health workers discuss the vaccine program with mothers and daughters.
The goal of the project is to vaccinate 8,000 girls, ages 9-13, in Thailand and the Philippines.
Results from the project will help guide development of national vaccination programs, which could help reduce cervical cancer deaths in Thailand and the Philippines.
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