Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology (POGI) emphasizes the importance of vaccination to prevent cancer of the cervix or cervix.
POGI Chairperson Yudi M. Hidayat advised women to get vaccinated to prevent infection human papilloma virus (HPV), a virus that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.
In a press conference on Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Jakarta, Tuesday (31/1), she said that women do not need to wait for the results of tests to detect cervical cancer such as Pap Smear and IVA to undergo HPV vaccination.
Yudi said that HPV vaccination also needs to be carried out for girls aged five and six in elementary school as an effort to protect against the risk of cervical cancer.
Although in the guidelines for the implementation of the HPV vaccination there is a maximum age limit of 55 years, he said, women who are elderly and still having sexual relations are better off undergoing the HPV vaccination.
In addition to undergoing vaccination, Yudi said, women who are actively having sexual intercourse should undergo examination procedures to detect signs of cervical cancer such as Pap smears and visual inspection of acetic acid (IVA).
“Don’t wait until it gets worse before checking. No matter how sophisticated the tool is, it’s free,” he said.
Doctors generally recommend carrying out Pap Smear examinations every three years for women aged 21 to 65 years.
Yudi stated the importance of education about cervical cancer prevention in order to increase women’s awareness to undergo vaccinations and examinations.
According to information released by the Ministry of Health, cervical cancer is a malignancy that occurs in the cervix, most of which occur as a result of HPV infection.
Risk factors for cervical cancer to watch out for include having sexual intercourse at a young age (under 18 years), frequent sexual partners, family history of cancer, and recurrent genital infections.
Yudi said that wounds on the vagina would make it easier for viruses to enter and cause infection. “If it’s torn or injured, it will be difficult (to recover), and it causes the virus to enter easily,” he said.
