Power Wives Over Cervical Cance

Women are selfless. We always put our family on top of our priorities. Because we play different roles, it's just right we give time to ourselves so that we can take care of others especially our loved ones.

Last month, we celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness and just a week ago, I attended another special event that tackles about Cervical Cancer. These two diseases sounds really frightening but did you know that there are preventive measures and early detection?

Cervical cancer is a major problem for Filipino women. It's the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipinas. What’s more worrying is that 2 in 3 Filipinas diagnosed with cervical cancer may die within five years, or up to 2,832 women dying in a year due to late detection. In its early stage, it may have no signs or symptoms.

Cervical cancer is usually caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a very common virus that spreads in the cervix. It has been shown that 99.7 percent of cervical cancer patients are positive for HPV infection. It is also estimated that up to 80 percent of women will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. HPV is primarily transmitted via sexual intercourse but skin-to-skin genital contact is also a recognized mode of transmission. Of course, there are ways to detect the virus like regular consultations and pap smears. We are glad there are vaccines that protect against cancer-causing HPV.

Leading research-based pharmaceutical company GSK continues to spread its cervical cancer awareness efforts. In the Philippines, the Power Over Cervical Cancer campaign urges Filipinas to realize that they are empowered. We are taught that we can do something to prevent the disease from happening.

In a special gathering of the Power Wives, part of the GSK’s 2015 cervical cancer awareness campaign. Women had sessions on personality development, image building, personal resilience, financial management and self-care. They enjoyed an afternoon of makeup session and gift wrapping.

To know more about cervical cancer, visit the Pangarap Mo, Protektado page on Youtube. It features short films teaching us about vaccine-preventable diseases as one important step in the early prevention of cervical cancer.