DOH Urges Women to Embrace Healthy Lifestyle, Avail of Tests to Avoid Cervical Cancer

Iloilo City (PNA) -– The Department of Health (DOH) is urging women to embrace healthy lifestyle and avail of tests to prevent if not to detect early possible signs of cervical cancer.

John Richard Lapascua, DOH senior health program officer citing the 2010 Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence (GLOBOCAN) report said that cervical cancer is second to breast cancer in terms of new cases and ranked third in terms of death among female.

In the Philippines the prevalence rate is 11.7 percent while mortality case is at 5.3 percent. It is also the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The incidence rate starts rising steeply at age 30.

Lapascua said that embracing healthy lifestyle is one strategy to help prevent the killer disease. It means improved diet and exercise, stop smoking, delaying of the initiation of sexual intercourse and being faithful to the partner.

Moreover, it is recommended for women to avail of the screening and diagnosis services already available in various health centers. These include undergoing pap smear and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA).

The health department looked forward to reduce the morbidity and mortality among women due to cervical cancer even as it also aimed to increase the coverage of women given appropriate screening to at least 80 percent. (PNA) PGL/KEYCEE MAE SOMO WVSU-OJT/CBF