Skip to main content

Cervical Cancer Vaccine


I'm so happy to hear that there is a vaccine against Cervical Cancer!!

At long last! A vaccine to prevent a certain type of cancer!

That's such a breakthrough for me. My grandfather died of Cancer - and I was witness to the pain and suffering he went through. I have a very good friend who was diagnosed with Cancer last year - thankfully, she's in remission already!

I was shocked to learn that women and men can die of this! I always assumed that Cervical cancer was a cancer that hit only women. Most Pinays would steer away from visiting an OB-Gyne for fear that they will be branded negatively. I personally have never visited one - I never thought I needed to, I always assumed that going to the OB-Gyne meant that you were expecting or trying to conceive. But after hearing talk about Cervical cancer - I realized, I thought wrong. We women have to take time out to visit our doctors, get a regular check-up and update ourselves on the vaccine that prevents Cervical Cancer.

Dr. Manalastas gave a very informative talk - I found it upsetting though - that the vaccine has been in the country for quite a while, but how come I've never heard of it? Spreading the information was quite slow, I mean a LOT of women (and men) can benefit from this vaccine, why not do a full blown campaign? I mean, this vaccine prevents a certain type of cancer - that should be a phenomenon, but why is it not?



Through my blog, I hope to help spread the word that indeed Cervical Cancer can be prevented. I have been encouraging friends who have daughters in their teens to get this vaccine - I mean shelling out a certain amount, will prevent their daughters to contract HPV that develops into Cervical Cancer.

To my female readers, visit your OB-Gyne (I know it's taboo in our culture, but it'll help you, believe me!!), get a Pap-Smear and if possible, get the vaccine.



As they say, health is wealth - prevention is key guys!!

Comments

  1. Hi I hope you read more on this because there are a lot of side effects and problems that have been associated with this vaccine. Some even say that it's better NOT to get that because of the complications. Also, it hasn't been fully tested but the company behind it is really spending a lot of money to back this drug into the main market.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello! Thanks for letting me know. I will read more about this. Thanks for dropping by! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. some clarifications. men cant have cervical cancer because we dont have a cervix. what Dr. Manalastas probably means is that men can also be infected by HPV which can be transmitted to women. HPV infection in men is usually asymptomatic but can also manifest as genital warts.

    unfortunately the price of the vaccine is very high even with a full blown campaign for low income filipinos. and you need to have 3 doses of the vaccine which can cost you more than 15thou! :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kiko! I agree that the vaccines are costly - but I think there are people who are trying to pull down the prices. The campaign is fairly new, I hope we can give them a chance. I mean, we all have to agree that prevention is key! :) Thanks for dropping by!

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey thanks for dropping by my blog also. you can contact me at ancisq@gmail.com :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. very informative post, but then again, i hope this time, it's for real... they really should check about side effects as your anonymous blogger has commented... thanks for the link and for dropping by... :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Kiko! Will contact you. Thanks!

    Hey Mikky - I think there's constant testing and improvements naman for the vaccine. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi! gardasil is a safe drug for the prevention of HPV. not everyone may get side effects but even if they do, its just as simple as what you can get from flu vaccine (e.g. nausea, dizziness, muscle pain, fever, lbm...)

    my husband's clinic is offering this to young ladies between 9-27 yrs of age. kiko is correct, gardasil will be given in a series of 3 shots. you can get your 2nd shot 2 months after your 1st and the 3rd shot, 4 months after the 2nd. the cost for this is Php5,500 per shot. my husband, dr. dave, will not require you to pay for the whole thing so you may have time to save... or should you wish to pay outright, a special discount may be arranged. health should always be given a priority...think about it ladies!

    ReplyDelete
  9. to jenovasy:

    It has been reported that in the US alone, there have been 20 deaths related to Gardasil. Also, Merck has not conducted long term studies on this. To conclude that it is safe because of the marketing campaign is seriously irresponsible.

    I find it disturbing that you even advertised your husband's clinic at the same time.

    I'm not saying that this drug is bad or anything, but I agree with the first comment that before you get vaccinated, whatever the drug, you should research and weigh the options. Most of all, judge for yourself if your doctor is really ethical in that he thinks about what is good for you and your health or is he pushing some company's goods on you in exchange of the perks he or she gets from a med rep.

    - Cherry

    ReplyDelete
  10. hi cherry! my husband attended medical conventions and seminars regarding the hpv vaccine. i don't see anything wrong to rave at something i think is helpful and great. while i respect your views, may i just quote the following:

    "The National Cancer Institute says, "FDA-approved Gardasil prevented nearly 100 percent of the precancerous cervical cell changes caused by the types of HPV targeted by the vaccine for up to 4 years after vaccination."[16] The vaccine is believed to be effective for longer, but for how long, and whether a booster shot will be needed is still being studied.
    Darren Brown, Indiana University, reported at the 2007 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that Gardasil had 38% efficacy against 10 other HPV types responsible for >20% of cervical cancer cases.
    As of 30 June 2008, out of over 16 million doses of Gardasil distributed in the United States, there have been 9,749 reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) following Gardasil vaccination. Gardasil has less than half the average percentage of serious reports. "It is important to note that a report to VAERS does not mean there is a connection between the vaccine and the event. It means the event took place following vaccination." The FDA and CDC said that with millions of vaccinations “by chance alone some serious adverse effects and deaths” will occur in the time period following vaccination, but have nothing to do with the vaccine. Although at least 20 women who received the Gardasil vaccine have died, there is no evidence that deaths or serious outcomes were connected to the shot. Where information was available, the cause of death was explained by other factors. Likewise, although a small number of cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have been reported following vaccination with Gardasil. there is no evidence linking GBS to the vaccine."

    Please visit this site for more info:
    http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/FDA_and_CDC_Statement.htm

    thanks for your intense concern though...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breastfeeding Mama!

"Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (July). For this month, we join the National Nutrition Council - Department of Health in celebrating Nutrition Month with the theme "Isulong ang Breastfeeding - Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!" Participants will share their experiences in promoting breastfeeding or their tips on how breastfeeding should be promoted. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants." When I got pregnant, I knew instantly that I would be breastfeeding my baby.  My mom found it odd that I decided to breastfeed - this was because I grew up formula fed.  My twin brother and I were given formula since birth, there was no attempt whatsoever to breastfeed.  In fact my mom recounted that she was given medicine to stop the milk production.  My pedia, Dr. Joy Ty-Sy said that during my mom's time (when she had us) it was the boom of formulas, that it was the trend that time.  I grew up with formula, my c

ANSON SUPERMARKET - Grocery delivery!!

Sharing is caring, so we can't keep it a secret any longer.  THIS is where we get out groceries!  Well, Anson Supermarket has been where we have been purchasing all of our kids' diapers!  From Kailee to Connor to Shobe!  Yes, yes, yes! A week into the lockdown, it just occurred to us that we can get our groceries from them - but then we thought, we didn't want to force them to do it - after all it's a different time now.  But when we asked and they said yes, it was like we won the lottery.  We sent out our list - a very VERY SPECIFIC list and voila after a day or two (we weren't in a rush) they told us to schedule a pick up.  Please remember that I am sharing this with you guys because I believe so much in the saying 'sharing is caring'.  Please be mindful of your language and respect those who will call or message you about your orders.  Also note that some items might NOT be available - so manage your expectations.   They're a full functioning

#CookingQuest: Winter Melon Soup ala Didi #EnhancedCommunity

One of the things that gets ooohs and aaaahs in a chinese restaurant is the #WinterMelonSoup.   You may ask why?  Well because with this soup, restaurants use the winter melon itself as a huge bowl to serve the soup!  It's a sight to see as you'll be amazed how they were able to pull it off.  You'll see the whole winter melon, and then suddenly they're take out the top part and when you peek in, the soup is inside together with meat bits and other veggies!  My mom has tried it at home, and I remember her being nervous that the winter melon doesn't break apart, kunde sira ang presentation! So during this #EnhancedCommunityQuarantine, I chanced upon Theo's Farm that they have winter melon, so I ordered.  When I saw it - I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off the carving and serving the winter melon.  It actually made the preparation easier.  I had to ask my mom, and she told me to steam the winter melon to soften it.  Honestly, I don't think I can w