Cervical cancer vaccination: Parents given choice
Published: Oct 8, 2009 2:25 AM | Updated: Oct 8, 2009 2:26 AM
Parents will be given a choice to allow their daughters to be given anti-cervical cancer vaccination that will begin next year for secondary schools girls aged 13.
Parents will be given a choice to allow their daughters to be given anti-cervical cancer vaccination that will begin next year for secondary schools girls aged 13.
Those who agree need to sign a letter of consent, said Education director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom when contacted regarding the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme that was announced by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai recently.
Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, director of the disease control division in the Health Ministry, confirmed that vaccination will only be given after getting the consent of parents.
The move is to contain cervical cancer that is the second most common cancer among women in Malaysia after breast cancer with 1,500 new cases each year.
"Till now the ministry is still waiting for further directive from the Health Ministry regarding the vaccinations. The ministry is ready to cooperate with the Health Ministry in implementation," Alimuddin told Bernama.
Alimuddin said the ministry had not received any complaint or objection from any quarter regarding the Health Ministry's suggestion.
“From feedback we have received many Parent-Teacher Associations and parents agree with the vaccination and we believe the Health Ministry will study the best medicine before implementation," he said.
The honorary advisor to the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) Zuraidah Atan supports the programme as a preventive measure for the future.
“However, the decision by the schools to implement the vaccination programme depends on the parents. If they are aware of the importance of the vaccination as protection for their children they should continue with it," she asid.
"For NCSM, we support fully the Health Ministry's action to have the vaccination programme at 13 years of age. I'm sure the ministry had thought of the process before intending to implement it and the programme is really good, especially for rural students, who mostly cannot afford it," she said.
Zuraidah said parents also need not worry about the vaccination as no death was reported till now in the country.
Better immune response
Hasan explained that the decision to introduce the HPV Vaccination Programme for teenage girls as early as 13 years was made as that age group produced better immune response compared to those in the older age group.
At that age the girls are considered to be still naive to the HPV infection and are free from the disease.
He said the Health Ministry had also had 'a secondary prevention programme' since 1969, the Pap Smear Screening Programme, to help detect cancer but the response was not satisfactory.
"The acceptance rate is however not very encouraging as shown by the National Health Morbidity Survey III (2006) which indicates that only 43.3 percent women aged 18 and above ever had Pap Smear. The Penang Cancer Registry Report 2004 has also reported that 75 percent of cervical cancer cases are detected at late stages," he said.
He said based on research done by Prof S Al-Junid of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) results showed that prevention of cervical cancer by vaccination was cost effective.
According to him it was extimated that the cost of three vaccination doses was RM400 compared to RM235,000 for a life-time of treatment for cervical cancer.
"Thus it would cost approximately RM360 million to treat 1,500 newly diagnosed cervical cancer cases every year," said Dr Hasan.
Hasan said many factors contributed to the onset of cervical cancer, usually closely related to HPV infection and the risk of getting infected is related to any sexual activity with the risk becoming higher when one indulges in promiscuity.
He said the impact from HPV vaccination can only be seen in the long run between 15 and 20 years as benefit from the vaccination will reduce any side effects as well as prevent premature deaths among women who were in their productive years.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated the 13 types of HPV could trigger cervical cancer with HPV types 16 and 18 causing 70 per cent of the cancer.
Hasan said the estimate was consistent with the situation in Malaysia where 74 percent of the cancer was caused by those two types of HPV.
On the death of a teenaged girl in Britain after being vaccinated, Hasan said: "There is no increase in the rate of the documented adverse events reported due to HPV vaccine. There was also no convincing evidence between HPV vaccination and the deaths reported".
- Bernama
Those who agree need to sign a letter of consent, said Education director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom when contacted regarding the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination programme that was announced by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai recently.
Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman, director of the disease control division in the Health Ministry, confirmed that vaccination will only be given after getting the consent of parents.
The move is to contain cervical cancer that is the second most common cancer among women in Malaysia after breast cancer with 1,500 new cases each year.
"Till now the ministry is still waiting for further directive from the Health Ministry regarding the vaccinations. The ministry is ready to cooperate with the Health Ministry in implementation," Alimuddin told Bernama.
Alimuddin said the ministry had not received any complaint or objection from any quarter regarding the Health Ministry's suggestion.
“From feedback we have received many Parent-Teacher Associations and parents agree with the vaccination and we believe the Health Ministry will study the best medicine before implementation," he said.
The honorary advisor to the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) Zuraidah Atan supports the programme as a preventive measure for the future.
“However, the decision by the schools to implement the vaccination programme depends on the parents. If they are aware of the importance of the vaccination as protection for their children they should continue with it," she asid.
"For NCSM, we support fully the Health Ministry's action to have the vaccination programme at 13 years of age. I'm sure the ministry had thought of the process before intending to implement it and the programme is really good, especially for rural students, who mostly cannot afford it," she said.
Zuraidah said parents also need not worry about the vaccination as no death was reported till now in the country.
Better immune response
Hasan explained that the decision to introduce the HPV Vaccination Programme for teenage girls as early as 13 years was made as that age group produced better immune response compared to those in the older age group.
At that age the girls are considered to be still naive to the HPV infection and are free from the disease.
He said the Health Ministry had also had 'a secondary prevention programme' since 1969, the Pap Smear Screening Programme, to help detect cancer but the response was not satisfactory.
"The acceptance rate is however not very encouraging as shown by the National Health Morbidity Survey III (2006) which indicates that only 43.3 percent women aged 18 and above ever had Pap Smear. The Penang Cancer Registry Report 2004 has also reported that 75 percent of cervical cancer cases are detected at late stages," he said.
He said based on research done by Prof S Al-Junid of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) results showed that prevention of cervical cancer by vaccination was cost effective.
According to him it was extimated that the cost of three vaccination doses was RM400 compared to RM235,000 for a life-time of treatment for cervical cancer.
"Thus it would cost approximately RM360 million to treat 1,500 newly diagnosed cervical cancer cases every year," said Dr Hasan.
Hasan said many factors contributed to the onset of cervical cancer, usually closely related to HPV infection and the risk of getting infected is related to any sexual activity with the risk becoming higher when one indulges in promiscuity.
He said the impact from HPV vaccination can only be seen in the long run between 15 and 20 years as benefit from the vaccination will reduce any side effects as well as prevent premature deaths among women who were in their productive years.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated the 13 types of HPV could trigger cervical cancer with HPV types 16 and 18 causing 70 per cent of the cancer.
Hasan said the estimate was consistent with the situation in Malaysia where 74 percent of the cancer was caused by those two types of HPV.
On the death of a teenaged girl in Britain after being vaccinated, Hasan said: "There is no increase in the rate of the documented adverse events reported due to HPV vaccine. There was also no convincing evidence between HPV vaccination and the deaths reported".
- Bernama
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