CABANATUAN CITY (PIA) — The Provincial Government of Nueva Ecija continues to strengthen cervical cancer prevention by boosting early detection, expanding screening services, and implementing free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to protect women and young girls across the province.
Provincial Health Office (PHO) Non-Communicable Disease Coordinator for Cervical Cancer Maricel Nagaño said the combination of regular screening and HPV immunization plays a vital role in reducing cervical cancer cases and preventing related deaths.
“Vaccination is highly effective in preventing HPV infection, complemented by regular screening such as visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), Pap smear, and HPV testing when available, as well as safe sexual practices that help reduce transmission,” she said.
Nagaño also advised women to remain alert to symptoms such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, and unusual vaginal discharge.
She stressed that early detection through VIA and Pap smear enables health workers to identify cervical abnormalities before they progress into cancer.
Nagaño explained that VIA is a simple and cost-effective screening method available in rural health units, while Pap smear detects precancerous cervical cell changes through laboratory testing.
“A Pap smear is done at least 10 days after menstruation and requires three days of sexual abstinence to ensure a good specimen, while VIA follows a simpler process where trained nurses, midwives, and doctors apply five percent vinegar using cotton swabs through a vaginal speculum and assess the cervix after 10 minutes for normal or abnormal findings, making it the most economical and fastest screening method that allows immediate referral to an OB-GYN when needed,” Nagaño emphasized.
“The procedure is performed by nurses and midwives, with barangay health workers assisting us because they are most familiar with the women in their respective barangays,” she added.
Meanwhile, PHO nurse and National Immunization Program Coordinator Arminda Torres said HPV vaccination provides strong protection and prevention against cervical cancer, particularly for girls aged nine to 14 who are not yet sexually active.
She shared that the provincial government provides free HPV vaccination to girls aged nine to 14 years old through school-based and community-based immunization programs.
“This is a yearly activity conducted under the School-Based Immunization Program, where two months after enrollment, public schools are visited to provide free HPV vaccination to children aged nine to 14 years old,” Torres said.
The PHO continues to encourage women to undergo regular cervical cancer screening and urges parents to support HPV vaccination as part of the province’s comprehensive cervical cancer prevention efforts. (CLJD/MCAL, PIA Region 3–Nueva Ecija)
