<i>Vaccine can prevent 97pc cervical cancer </i>
Says study
Cervical cancer can be prevented in 97 percent cases if adolescents are vaccinated with human papilloma virus (HPV) before their sexual exposure, a study revealed yesterday.
The research found HPV vaccine highly effective in immunising people against the cancer that kills 18 women a day across the country.
Bangladesh Cervical Cancer Vaccination Programme Committee (BCCVP) and Oncology Club conducted the pilot study on “Prevention of cervical cancer by HPV vaccination in Bangladesh”.
Funded by Grameenphone Ltd, the pilot scheme was carried out over 50 underprivileged girls aged between 13 and 19 of Dhaka and its outskirts from December 2008 to July 2009.
After vaccinating all the girls with three doses of HPV, their bodies were found to have developed antibody against cervical cancer.
“It indicates they will have almost no chance to develop cervical cancer afterwards,” said gynecologist Prof Dr Sameena Chowdhury of Central Hospital.
“The research, however, is still in progress to find out if the vaccine would work for lifetime,” she added.
Experts at a city hotel seminar yesterday said 6,561 deaths from the cancer are reported every year against an estimated 12,931 cases in the country.
Early marriage, frequent childbirth, and sexual relationship with more than one partners are identified as external factors to cause the disease, they said.
They also asked for the government's undertaking to make the vaccine available, as each HPV dose costs Tk 4,500 -- too expensive to poor women.
Prime minister's health adviser, Prof Dr Syed Modasser Ali, attended the seminar as the chief guest.
He said corruption and Koko was synonymous during the tenure of BNP-led four-party alliance government.
“At that time, those who took bribe and worked were known as honest, those who took bribe but did not work were termed dishonest, and those who neither took bribe nor worked for others were called callous.”
“Thousand crores of taka was laundered from the country at that time and it became a culture of the then government,” he added.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, has set an example of honest ruling and nobody can say that a taka is laundered in last two years.”
BSMMU Vice Chancellor Prof Pran Gopal Datta; Aman Ashraf Faiz, deputy director (communication) of Grameenphone Ltd; Prof Emeritus Dr ABMF Karim; Prof SAR Chowdhury of gsk; Prof Sabera Khatun, member secretary of BCCVP; and Prof Kohinur Begum, president of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB); also spoke at the programme.
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