Take care of your daughter!
UMF Craiova information and education campaign
March 4th is International HPV Awareness Day. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova continues the information and education programme for prevention and initiates the campaign "Take care of your daughter!".
On March 4th, in Electroputere Mall, from 13.00, Craiova residents will meet UMF Craiova students, together with their professors, and will learn ways to reach and continue to reach ZERO cases of cancer caused by HPV infection. The students will be joined by Professor Dan Ionuț Gheonea, Rector of UMF Craiova, Professor Ștefania Tudorache, Professor Dominic Iliescu, Associate Professor Carmen Oancea, Associate Professor Constantin Kamal, Lecturer Gindrovel Dumitra, and Lecturer Cristi Lungulescu.
More than 1800 women lose their lives every year.
HPV is so widespread that almost all sexually active men and women will become infected with at least one type of HPV in their lifetime. In Romania, cervical cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, after breast and colorectal cancer. This means that every year HPV infection causes: 3380 new cases of cervical cancer, over 550 other cancers, over 1800 women lose their lives.
What is to be done?
We can do cytological examinations ( Babeș Papanicolau test or cytological examination in liquid medium), we can use colposcopy/visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), we can enter the screening flow of HPV types with high oncogenic risk. Most importantly, we can also protect our children by HPV vaccination.
HPV vaccination of boys also has its benefits. They are the source of HPV infection for females, and if they are not vaccinated, the reservoir of HPV infection will persist in the wild, making the effort to eradicate cervical cancer more difficult. But HPV is also responsible for certain types of male cancers such as penile, laryngeal and pharyngeal cancer. Vaccinating boys will help to substantially reduce these cancers in vaccinated males.
The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) of the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed the evidence on the safety of HPV vaccines in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 - 7 times. WHO has never reported any safety concerns with HPV vaccines.
The HPV vaccine has been used since 2006 in national vaccination programmes in different countries. Some countries have achieved and maintained vaccination coverage of over 70% (Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the UK).
UMF Craiova appeals to all regional and national institutions and forums that can support the communication of information that can save tens of thousands of lives.
We now have a national HPV vaccination programme in Romania for girls aged 11-18!
It is in our power to help make decisions today that can save lives in the future!