A global study has found that some parents do not get their daughters vaccinated against cervical cancer because they believe their daughters are too young or that the vaccination is costly.
These are just some of the myths about the cancer that doctors in Singapore hope to debunk. Doctors who spoke at a media conference on Tuesday, which was held as part of Cervical Cancer Awareness month, said that the vaccine is recommended for women aged nine to 26. And while such a vaccine costs around $450 to $600, patients can use up to $400 from their Medisave account to subsidise the cost.
Professor Tay Sun Kuie, senior consultant at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Singapore General Hospital, a speaker at the event added that in Singapore, most women do not see the value in cervical cancer screenings and vaccinations if there are no symptoms,
Cervical cancer however is the ninth most prevalent cancer in Singaporean women, tailing closely behind lymphoma and stomach cancer in women, according to a study two years ago by the Singapore Cancer Registry. "Cervical cancer is the only women's cancer that is preventable. A regular Pap smear and early vaccination are the most effective way of protecting women against cervical cancer," said Prof Tay.