Eight out of ten women in India die of cervical cancer

CERVICAL CANCER: The cause for cervical cancer is a very common infection called the Human papillomavirus.

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Kaula Lumpur: Every hour, eight out of ten women in India die of the cancer of cervix, according to a 2007 World Health Organisation report.

However, a new vaccine may change the trend for the better now.

The cause for cervical cancer is a very common infection called the Human papillomavirus or HPV, which infects 80 per cent of women in their lifetime, and about 80 per cent clear it on their own. In men, HPV could cause genital warts or other STDs. In women, it could lead to the cancers of cervix, vulva and the vagina.

Doctors say that good hygiene, safe sex, avoiding smoking, awareness and regular screening are the best protection.

A vaccine called Gardasil has been approved by the US FDA for use in girls from the age of nine up to twenty-six.

“It is a vaccine that prevents the infection that causes the cervical cancer,” says Gynaecological Oncologist, Dr Suresh Kumarasamy.

The vaccine is yet to be launched in India. There has been debate over the use of Gardasil in the US given the young age of girls involved.

The results of independent clinical trials on women and children in Australia were presented at the 13th International Infectious Diseases Conference in Kualalumpur in June 2008.

“It is for young girls much before there is a chance of being attacked y the virus,” says Professor, University of Melbourne, Dr Susan Garland.

There are separate studies that are being carried out in India to check its safety and efficacy. However, in the long run, it is the cost effectiveness of the vaccine that would determine its success in India.