This fact was stated in a survey in Indonesia, that cervical cancer is in second place as the most risky cancer for women. Cervical cancer has the most cases after breast cancer, namely around 36,333 new cases or 9.2% of the total cancer cases in Indonesia in 2020.
The high incidence of cervical cancer not only has an impact on the quality of public health, but also becomes a major disease burden for the country. And, one of the reasons is the lack of public awareness of cervical cancer.
Professor of Gynecological Oncology Consultant & Chairman of the Indonesian Obstetrics and Gynecology Association (POGI) Prof. Dr. dr. Yudi M Hidayat, Sp.OG., Subsp. Onk., D.MAS., M.Kes, said that the lack of public awareness of cervical cancer is a challenge that must be faced. Including an understanding of the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV.
“The challenge we face today is the low public awareness of the dangers of HPV infection. In fact, HPV is a very dangerous virus, in which almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV infection,” said Prof. Yudi during a press conference entitled: Dare to #NgobrolinHPV, Prevent Cervical Cancer Early on which was held by PT. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Tuesday 31 January 2023.
According to Prof. Yudi, this condition cannot be separated from the large amount of inaccurate information regarding cervical cancer, as well as the low coverage of HPV DNA screening in Indonesia. In addition to education, prevention efforts in the form of early detection and vaccination are steps that need to be followed up.
“Currently there are many HPV vaccines available in Indonesia, there are 3 types of HPV vaccines (bivalent, quadrivalent and nonavalent) available in hospitals and clinics so that they are easy to access by the wider community,” added Prof. Yudi.
(FIR)
