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We seldom speech astir it, but we should — the microorganism down 1 of the astir preventable cancers successful the world. This October, BellaNaija began the #StopHPVForHer run to interruption the soundlessness astir HPV and cervical cancer. It’s a telephone to enactment for women to learn, ask, and support themselves done screening and vaccination earlier the illness ever takes hold.
Still, galore women are unsure wherever to statesman and they person questions. What precisely is HPV? How does it pb to cervical cancer? And what tin women do, today, to support themselves, their daughters and the radical they love?
To assistance demystify the subject, Dr. Aisha Mustapha, a starring gynaecologic oncologist astatine Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, sat down with BellaNaija to unpack the facts. As the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (Kaduna State Branch) and Co-Chair of the Nigerian Cancer Society’s Training Committee, Dr. Mustapha breaks down what HPV truly means, it’s nexus to cervical crab and explains what each pistillate should cognize astir vaccination, screening, and the elemental steps that tin forestall 1 of the world’s astir avoidable cancers.
Cervical crab is often described arsenic 1 of the astir preventable cancers — tin you interruption down what makes it preventable?
Cervical crab is astir 100% preventable due to the fact that of 2 reasons. First, we cognize the nonstop cause, which is persistent corruption with high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hrHPV). Second, determination is simply a agelong latency play betwixt hrHPV corruption and cervical cancer. These reasons springiness america 2 almighty lines of defense, known arsenic superior and secondary prevention.
- Primary Prevention: The HPV vaccine is the astir effectual instrumentality for cervical crab prevention. It is astir effectual erstwhile fixed to adolescents (boys and girls) earlier they become sexually active. By stopping the archetypal corruption with hrHPV, we forestall the entire illness process from starting. Nigeria is presently vaccinating girls aged 9 years free-of-charge crossed each Primary Health Centres crossed the country.
- Secondary Prevention: Screening and Early Treatment. Cervical crab takes a precise agelong time—sometimes 10 to 20 years—to make from an archetypal HPV corruption into existent cancer. Screening tests (such arsenic Visual Inspection Tests, Pap smear and HPV test) springiness america a monolithic model to observe the abnormal compartment changes, known arsenic pre-cancers, agelong earlier they crook into full-blown cancer. When we find these pre-cancers, we region them with a simple procedure, stopping the crab entirely. Nigeria precocious launched the nationalist screening guidelines.
Because we tin forestall the origin (with the vaccine) and observe and dainty the informing signs (with screening), cervical crab is the astir preventable cancer
What are the cardinal informing signs oregon symptoms women should ne'er disregard erstwhile it comes to cervical health?
The astir important happening to retrieve is that precancerous changes seldom origin symptoms, which is wherefore screening is captious adjacent if you consciousness perfectly well. So, the informing motion you should ne'er ignore is your calendar reminder for cervical screening!
However, erstwhile cervical crab begins to grow, the symptoms are astir ever related to abnormal bleeding and discharge. Women should ne'er ignore:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding: This includes bleeding aft intersexual intercourse, bleeding between menstrual periods, oregon immoderate vaginal bleeding aft menopause.
- Unusually dense oregon agelong menstrual periods: If your periods abruptly cha...
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