Authorities call for early protection against HPV

Local

AT JUST nine years old, girls may already hold the key to curbing a cancer whose cases continue to climb in Central Visayas.

Health officials urged parents to vaccinate their daughters against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as early as age nine, stressing that early protection offers the strongest defense before any exposure to the virus.

Experts issued the call at the Cebu Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit in Mandaue City on Friday, September 5, 2025, where more than 100 participants gathered to strengthen the fight against cervical cancer.

Participatns include representatives from local government units, medical societies, advocacy groups, and patient networks.

Speakers explained 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 told participants that 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.

Alongside the summit, the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) and its partners held a media forum.

Non-Communicable Diseases Section head Dr. Joan Antonette Albito reported that cervical cancer cases in the region rose from 51 in 2021 to 241 in 2024, while deaths increased from 45 in 2021 to 163 in 2024.

Albito pointed to cost, distance, and stigma as barriers to care, urging women and girls to undergo regular screening. Screenings climbed from 3,728 in 2021 to 14,946 in 2024.

DOH 7 announced that it will launch a school-based HPV vaccination program in October 2025 for girls aged 9 to 14 and will introduce a self-collection method for HPV-DNA testing.

Both events highlighted Cebu’s push to align with the World Health Organization’s 90-70-90 targets, while health leaders called on local governments to invest more in HPV vaccination, echoing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s declaration of HPV vaccination as a national public health priority.(MyTVCebu)