‘Pakistan ranked 7th in cervical cancer deaths’

HYDERABAD: Eminent consultant and assistant professor at Liaquat Universality of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro, Dr Shehla Channa said Pakistan had been ranked seventh out of 50 countries by the Women Cervical Cancer Global Crisis Card (CCGCC) for highest number of cervical cancer deaths.

Talking to APP here on Monday, she said cervical cancer was the second most common cancer in women worldwide every year. It is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in women and every woman is at risk. The best time to get vaccinated is before marriage, however, all females from nine years onwards can benefit from the vaccine. Getting the vaccine as early as possible will protect them in future. Most of the cervical cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage when a woman is in the prime period of her life, taking care of her children and family, she explained.

It is very important to educate masses and persuade them to get their daughters vaccinated, she said. “Lack of awareness is the major cause behind the high fatality rate of the disease. Policymakers must come together to raise awareness among the public about the disease. This will encourage women to get them screened and vaccinated against this deadly but preventable disease,” she said.

Dr Channa said that our population was unaware due to social and cultural barriers. Awareness is direly needed among the parents about the disease and to ensure that our women are screened and vaccinated against it, she added.

She informed that best time to get vaccinated is when girls reached the age of puberty. All girls above nine can benefit from the vaccine, she stressed. The doctor said culturally, we spend money on dowry and weddings of our daughters but when it comes to their health, we ignore them, she said.

Dr Channa lamented that women in Pakistan were unaware of the seriousness of the disease. It is high time that we all should get united against cervical cancer to protect our girls and women from this silent killer.

She said vaccination against this deadly disease would be the best gift parents should give their daughters on their wedding, as more than 60 per cent women, who contracted this disease, die. She suggested the government to include it in the vaccination programme and vaccines should be available at basic health units or rural health centres, she suggested.