Kathmandu, Nepal – E be like say HPV no wan gree hear word as 126 women don catch am during cervical cancer screening wey dem just do for Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Na so dem run 2,564 samples, and 28 women show signs of this wahala wey dey come from HPV types 16 and 18 – dem types wey dey responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancer. Make you no fear, the remaining 98 women wey dem catch na different types of HPV, but dem no sabi wetin type dem be (no be everything wey dem find fit get name, abi?).
According to Dr. Deewash Neupane wey be medical officer for health department, dem only fit test for HPV types 16 and 18 for Bir Hospital laboratory. He talk say, “We no get testing kits for other types of HPV,” just like say dem dey play hide and seek. So, those other 98 wey dem find, the health people no fit identify dem types. (Abeg, make dem find another way to tackle this wahala jare!)
HPV na viral infection wey dey waka by skin-to-skin contact and e be big wahala for cervical cancer – the second most common cancer for developing world. For Nepal, dis cervical cancer na serious issue wey dey carry many women go their maker every year, with estimates say four women dey die every single day (chai, e no dey sweet at all). BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital dey treat over 700 women wey dey suffer from cervical cancer every year, but wetin we go do to reduce dis number?
Experts don talk say just because you carry HPV no mean say you get cervical cancer, but abeg, make you dey check yourself every year. The risk dey high for those wey catch types 16 and 18, so dem fit need to dey shine eye well well. Neupane don talk say there be over 100 different types of HPV, some dey low-risk while other dey high-risk for cancer (agbadagbukutu!).
Dem talk say, “We gatz test other types like 6, 11, 31, 33 and plenty more, but lack of reagents no make am happen at Bir Hospital.” (Na wa o, the hospital dey reason like say dem na APC in election season). But na so good screening fit help catch this cervical cancer early, wey fit prevent up to 80 percent of cases. The more dem check, the more dem fit save lives.
As part of the plan to tackle dis wahala, the health ministry don launch HPV vaccination drive wey start for February, targeting girls wey dey between 10 and 14 years. They don vaccinate 1.45 million girls, but dem estimate say 1.688 million dey for this age group wey dey waka up and down (you fit see the problem abi?).
Doctors don say the HPV vaccine dey effective if you take am before you start to dey carry belle or do any ‘serious’ play. If dem give you after you don start, the efficacy no too plenty. E be like say the government dey plan to include this HPV vaccine for routine immunization list, which be good news for everybody.
Na WHO talk say dis vaccination na important strategy wey go help prevent cervical cancer and other diseases wey HPV dey cause. So, abeg, make all ladies dem shine their eye well-well, as dem dey plan to fight this vawulence for cervical cancer!
