Cebu to scale HPV prevention: LGU investment to complement DOH program
Cebu health leaders called for strong Local Government Unit (LGU) investment to complement the Department of Health (DOH) HPV immunization program, placing prevention at the core of provincial priorities. At the Cebu Cervical Cancer Elimination Summit media forum, DOH Region 7 and the Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP) urged LGUs to fund vaccination, last-mile delivery, and wider screening to meet the World Health Organization’s 90-70-90 targets.
The strategy centers on HPV vaccine complementation, bringing services to people where they are: schools, barangay health centers, mobile missions, and outreach sites. The roadmap is clear: vaccinate girls 9–14, expand high-performance screening for women, and ensure timely treatment so national goals translate into local results.
According to Dr. Joan Antonette Albito, Medical Officer and Head, Non-Communicable Diseases Section, DOH-Central Visayas CHD, cervical cancer still claims about 12 Filipina lives daily—roughly one every two hours. “Statistics show that an estimated 12 Filipinas die of this disease daily. It means every two hours, a woman loses her fight against cervical cancer, and a family loses a loved one. Cervical cancer, remains a major health challenge in the Philippines,” Dr. Albito noted.
Dr. Albito said cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with about 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths in 2022. She noted “burden is heaviest in low- and middle-income countries, where limited access to HPV vaccination, screening and treatment, alongside social and economic barriers, drives higher incidence and mortality.”
According to Dr. Albito’s report, in Central Visayas, screening output rose from 3,728 women (0.15%) in 2021 to 14,946 (0.60%) in 2024, with those found positive or suspected increasing from 51 (2021) to 205 (2022), 218 (2023) and 241 (2024). Mortality is also up: Central Visayas recorded 45 deaths (rate 0.56) in 2021, 52 (0.64) in 2022, 123 (1.48) in 2023 and 163 (1.95) in 2024; Cebu Province reported 33 (1.01), 37 (1.24), 56 (1.64) and 60 (1.74) over the same years.
These trends make prevention urgent and require LGU investment to reinforce DOH’s program by scaling HPV immunization—funding routine school-based vaccination, barangay and mobile vaccination days, reliable supply and cold chain, and demand generation to get girls 9–14 vaccinated on time.
Partners outlined scalable solutions already underway. The Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS)–Cebu Chapter runs screen-and-treat missions that pair VIA/Pap smear (and HPV DNA testing where available) with same-day care to reduce drop-offs. Cebu City, with Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and partners, is piloting self-collection HPV DNA testing, a highly sensitive option many women find more acceptable. Frontliners also emphasized age-appropriate education and parent engagement to counter myths about vaccine safety and the misconception that vaccination encourages sexual activity.
A survivor’s testimony laid bare the cost of late detection—prolonged treatment, financial strain, and lives put on hold—reinforcing the need for early consultation and proactive prevention.
The forum concluded with a clear appeal to LGUs: put prevention first by expanding HPV immunization to complement DOH efforts. Broadening vaccine coverage is the most efficient way to curb the rise of cervical cancer in Cebu and across Central Visayas.
ADVT.
This article is brought to you by Association of Municipal Health Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP) Central Visayas.
