Mothers' Day: Protecting tomorrow's mothers

Today your little one says thank you with an illegible card or smudged craft project that reminds you just how precious she is. And some day, your little girl will receive a Mothers' Day gift from her own child. You are part of the timeless cycle of nurturing tomorrow's mothers.

This Mothers' Day, you can give your daughter what your mother could not give you: help in preventing South Africa's most common female cancer: cervical cancer. A schedule 2 vaccine targeting cervical cancer, is now available for children and teens aged 9 to 17, and women from 18 to 26.

The vaccine enables parents to help protect their children from human papillomavirus (HPV) - the main cause of cervical cancer, which kills approximately (or close to) 233 000 women a year worldwide. While most HPV infections disappear on their own due to the immune response, some can lead to cervical cancer and other cancers. In addition, HPV types 6 and 11 are responsible for most genital warts cases.

Eighty percent of today's girls will contract HPV by the age of 50, and most will be unaware of it, since the infection with the virus seldom produces symptoms. Yet HPV can cause lesions which may develop into invasive cancer over 10 to 20 years, and it can go unnoticed till then. In a case such as this, treatment may be as severe as a radical hysterectomy.

Although your daughter might be a mother herself by the time she benefits from your foresight, you can help protect her future now, by vaccinating her before her first HPV infection. Merck's vaccine, which targets HPV 6, 11, 16 and 18, will protect her from 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Boys should also be vaccinated - as carriers of HPV they can infect women with the virus and may develop genital warts or cancers in later life.

This investment in your child's health comes at a cost of R770 per dose (ex manufacturer and ex vat price). “Vaccination requires three doses over a 6-month period,” notes Dr Beverley Cowper, Medical Director at MSD (Pty) Ltd. “The vaccine is available over the counter to save parents the cost of obtaining a prescription.”

If your little ones haven't hit puberty yet, you may feel the vaccination is premature. But in reality, the earlier you act, the higher the chance of inoculating your child before his or her first HPV infection. This Mothers' Day, think about protecting tomorrow's parents - consult your doctor about the quadrivalent cervical cancer vaccine at your next visit.

For more information call 0860 HPV HPV or click on www.tell-someone.co.za.

For more information, contact:

Dr Nalini Naidoo, MSD Senior External Affairs Manager
Tel: (011) 655 3000
Cell: 083 745 8863

Issued by:

Lindy Goodfellow, MSD Public Relations Manager
Tel: (011) 655 3054
Cell: 083 442 5557

References

(1) Denny, Lynette. 2006. Prevention of Cervical Cancer. In: Ijumba P, Padarath A, editors. South African Health Review 2006. Durban: Health Systems Trust; 2006. [online] Available from: http://www.hst.org.za/publications/item.php?item_id=697 Accessed: 24 May 2007.

(2) World Health Organization. 2006. Comprehensive cervical cancer control: a guide to essential practice. Geneva: WHO Press.

(3) World Health Organization. 2006. Preparing for the Introduction of HPV Vaccines: Policy and Programme Guidance. Geneva: WHO Press.

(4) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Fact Sheet. Genital HPV Infection. Content Reviewed: May 2004. Technical Update: December 2, 2004. [online] Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/hpv.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2008.