CHENNAI: The Rotary Club of Madras announced the launch of its pioneering initiative, HPVAX, aimed at eradicating HPV-related cervical cancer at Shrine Velankani School T Nagar, Chennai. Spearheaded by Rtn. president Chella Krishna and his dedicated team, this initiative marks the beginning of a series of high-impact projects designed to bond, build, and bring cheer during this Rotary year. The HPVAX programme is a comprehensive effort that focusses on raising awareness regarding cervical cancer prevention and HPV vaccination among the target population of adolescent girls and their families using school based or community-based programmes, and providing vaccinations to adolescent girls, with the goal of preventing cervical cancer and saving lives.
Speaking on the occasion, Rtn. Dr Sangeetha Viswanathan, chair of Cancer Prevention and Care, said, “Cervical cancer is one of the leading malignancies in women and has a mortality of over 50% as it is often detected only in an advanced stage. A combined strategy of universal HPV vaccination of girls aged 9 years and above (for prevention) along with widespread cervical cancer screening of at-risk women (for early detection) is the only proven way to reduce the incidence and mortality associated with cervical cancer.” Chella Krishna, added “Given that it is the second most common cancer in women and a ‘preventable one’ it becomes an extremely relevant programme for an NGO like ours.”