In the battle against cervi­cal cancer, resident public health physician Dr. Victoria Partey-Newman has pushed for immunisation of both boys and girls.

It is the best approach, in her opinion, to stop the sickness from spreading. She asked that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine be made a part of the nation’s educational programme and given to both boys and girls starting at age nine in schools.

She claimed that doing so could help eradicate HPV and successfully lower the risk of infection in boys, as well as decrease transmission, boost immunity, and lessen problems linked to HPV.

According to her, among Ghanaian women aged 15 to 44, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer. She said that statistics indicate that 2,797 women receive a cervical cancer diagnosis annually, with 1,699 of those cases ending in death.

The numbers are concerning, but even more worrisome is the fact that males can catch HPV from infected women through sexual contact.

Male partners may also in­crease their female partners’ risk of developing cervical cancer, therefore this is serious.

The theme of this year’s World Cervical Cancer Aware­ness Month was “learn, prevent, screen,” and it was observed worldwide, including in Ghana.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) designates January, an­nually to promote immunisation against HPV, the primary cause of cervical cancer, and to increase public awareness of the illness.

It is fitting that the WHO emphasises during this year’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month the significance of expanding access to HPV vaccinations, rou­tine screening, and cutting-edge treatment for cervical cancer in its early stages.

Although previously the most frequent type of HPV-related cancer has been cervical cancer in women, data indicate that ap­proximately 40 percent of cases of HPV-induced cancer also occur in men.

The Spectator concurs with the Resident Public Health Physi­cian that boys and girls starting at age nine should receive the immunisation in schools.

Even though HPV-related can­cers can typically be successfully treated, it is always preferable to avoid cancer than to treat it, which is why the HPV vaccine is such an effective tool in the fight against cancer.

When women have vaginal bleeding after sex, bleeding after menopause, bleeding be­tween periods, pain during sex, or watery, odourous, and occa­sionally bloody vaginal discharg­es, we strongly advise them to follow medical advice and attend the hospital.

In addition, women need to undergo yearly screenings, abstain from smoking, limit the number of sexual partners they have, maintain a balanced diet, and engage in regular exercise.

Reducing the incidence of cer­vical cancer by 2030 and ending the disease as a public health issue by 2120 require a common goal.