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(KPL/Prensa Latina) The health organization Jhpiego, linked to Johns Hopkins University, is promoting in the Philippines the use of community-based testing and strategies to reduce human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer.
(KPL/Prensa Latina) The health organization Jhpiego, linked to Johns Hopkins University, is promoting in the Philippines the use of community-based testing and strategies to reduce human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer.
Donna Miranda, project officer, warned that less than one percent of eligible women access recommended screenings such as Pap smears or HPV DNA tests, resulting in late diagnosis and high mortality rates.
The Centralized Laboratory model for screening allows women to collect their own samples and send them for analysis, which eliminates barriers of discomfort and stigma.
According to specialists, this technique is more sensitive than the Pap smear and detects high-risk strains before symptoms appear.
In a pilot trial applied to 4,969 women in Metro Manila, 190 cases of precancerous lesions were identified, confirming the efficacy of the procedure endorsed by the World Health Organization.
Local authorities and participating physicians also stressed the importance of combining screening with early vaccination of adolescents and education campaigns on HPV transmission.
Therefore, it is planned to extend the program to 5,000 women in Cebu and 3,500 in Davao, aiming to reach 70 percent of the target population.
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