Tag: cervical cancer vaccine

The Tour of Hope 2011 – 500: Going the Xtra Mile Against Cervical Cancer

Posted on by jane
As a woman with 2 daughters, I am well aware of the dangers of cervical cancer, a silent killer and now the number 2 killer of women worldwide.
So I enjoin you, if you are an avid biker or just own a bike which you use for leisurely exercise around your village, to come and support The Tour of Hope 2011 which aims to save 500 women from cervical cancer.
Organized by Bravehearts in partnership with Team David’s Salon and GlaxoSmithKline, this year’s tour aims to provide cervical cancer vaccinations for 500 women during its 5-day tour.
The tour will cover approximately 500 kilometers with stopovers in 5 major towns where, at each stop, 100 women (identified by their local officials) will get their first cervical vaccination. Beyond just giving women the vaccines, at each stopover there are going to be lectures to the local community about how to take care of their health.
This year’s Tour of Hope will kick off from TriNoMa Mall in Quezon City on May 28, 2011. From there, the tour will take bikers to Tarlac City, Tarlac on its first stopover, then to San Fernando, La Union where the renowned La Union Botanical Gardens is located. The third stop will be Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, home to historical churches and ancestral homes. The fourth stop is Laoag City, Ilocos Norte where tourists often go to visit the Juan Luna Shrine and get a glimpse of the Spolarium painting. Finally, the tour ends up in Paoay where bikers get to see the unique blend of Spanish and Chinese architecture at Paoay Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To add glitz and excitement to the tour, several celebrities have pledged to join in as bikers including known names such as Matteo Guidicelli, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Marvin Kiefer, Rovilson Fernandez, Troy Montero, Aubrey Miles, Will Devaughn, Richie Hardin, Richard Herrera, Janna Victoria, Jeena Lopez, Gem Padilla-Thomas, Anthony Pangilinan and David Charlton. Tessa Prieto-Valdes is also currently working on a special project that will help raise funds for cervical cancer prevention.
Team David’s Salon with Tessa Prieto-Valdes
Some of the bikers who will join the Tour of Hope 2011 at its launch
Do you need to bike the entire 500 kms? NO. Since this is open to anyone who loves biking, you choose how far you want to go and at what pace you wish to go.
To join the Tour of Hope 2011 on May 28, 2011, please email Joyette Jopson at joyette.jopson@gmail.com or contact her at 0917-8827352.

A Killer of Women – Cervical Cancer

Posted on by jane

Every 2 hours, a woman dies from its deathly grip.

Being a woman and having 2 girls of my own, a statistic like this is downright scary. It can hit any woman anywhere around the world. And it will strike unless preventive measures are taken.

CERVICAL CANCER.

It is considered by the Department of Health as the second most common female cancer in the Philippines today, with an estimated 7,277 new cases reported every year. What about unreported or still undiagnosed cases? That number could easily escalate simply because women do not know how to protect themselves from this disease.

Cervical cancer develops when normal cells of the cervix turn cancerous, usually caused by a chronic and persistent cancer-causing Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that leads to pre-malignant lesions that eventually progress to cancer. This type of cancer takes decades to happen (from 10 to 30 years) so it is actually easy to prevent, screen, detect and diagnose before it turns malignant. Regular pap smears and visual inspection of the cervix with Acetic Acid (VIA) helps to screen for cervical cancer.

Rather than wait to be diagnosed with the presence of HPV, prevention is really the better strategy for us and that can be achieved by getting an effective vaccine that targets the cause of cervical cancer which are HPV types 16 and 18.

For me and my daughters, getting protection through a cervical cancer vaccine is a MUST. If you have daughters of your own, consider getting protection as soon as possible. Prices have already dropped considerably and cervical cancer protection is now affordable.

Here are some more statistics for you to consider.

Cervical Cancer by the Numbers

• 2                  Cervical Cancer is the second biggest cause of female mortality globally
• 510, 000        World Health Organization’s (WHO) estimate of new cervical cancer cases annually worldwide
• 288, 000        yearly deaths around the world because of cervical cancer, according to WHO
• 80                percent of cervical cancer cases found in developing countries in the world
• 245, 000        estimated number of new cervical cancer cases found in Asia every year
• 7, 277           estimated new cervical cancer cases every year in the Philippines according to survey                  done in Rizal, Cebu, and Davao by Department of Health (DOH)
• 12                estimated number of deaths (daily) in the Philippines due to cervical cancer
• 35                the age to start getting a Pap smear for women who have not engaged in vaginal intercourse
• 200              number of Human Papilloma Viruses (HPV) acknowledged to exist
• 15                number of HPV types said to be high-risk (cancer-causing)
• 16 & 18         HPV types which cause 70% of cervical cancer cases
• 45                3rd most common cancer-causing HPV types which is prevalent among Filipinas