Early detection of cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is largely caused by chronic infection by HPV, which is spreaded through sexual contact. Although not every infection with the HPV will produce cancer, some of the high-risk types will produce cervical cell changes that will develop into cancer last year.
Cervical cancer remains one of the most preventable yet deadly cancers in India. One in every five women globally who suffers from cervical cancer is from India, and the country contributes nearly 25% of global deaths from this disease.
These statistics are shocking. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination is now available, which, if given early, can avert the disease. If this vaccination is given before girls are exposed to the virus, optimally between ages 9 to 14, the HPV vaccine can avert most cervical cancer cases.
Cervical cancer is largely caused by chronic infection by the HPV, which is spread through sexual contact. Although not every infection with the HPV will produce cancer, some of the high-risk types will produce cervical cell changes that will develop into cancer years later. Early marriage, multiple births, unsafe menstrual practices, smoking, and failure to visit a clinic regularly for check-ups further aggravate the risk. Unfortunately, the disease often develops silently, with symptoms such as abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, or foul-smelling discharge appearing only in more advanced stages. This situation makes early detection through screening absolutely critical.
India continues to have low HPV vaccination coverage. While a national rollout was announced as a priority in the Union Budget 2024 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actual implementation has only taken place in a few pilot states. Based on data available, the overall national HPV vaccine coverage for girls between the ages of 15 and 18 years is only 1.3%, according to NFHS-5 (2019–20). While in most states, not much progress has been made yet, Sikkim stands out as a clear success, having launched a school-based immunization campaign in 2018 that received around 97% coverage among the girls it targeted. Punjab also achieved significant success in two districts, Mansa and Bhatinda, where school-based drives resulted in 98% vaccination coverage.
Source: https://nanditapalshetkar.in

Comments
Post a Comment