Cancer survivor bats for HPV vaccine
Having been cured of cervical cancer, 64-year-old Rukhmin Mortley is now calling on parents to protect their daughters from the disease (Photo by Samuel Maughn)
Having been cured of cervical cancer, 64-year-old Rukhmin Mortley is now calling on parents to protect their daughters from the disease (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

A 64-year-old cervical cancer survivor is urging parents to allow their daughters to take the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine.

“If they get a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer, I think we should use it,” Rukhmin Mortley told Guyana Chronicle.

On October 16, the Ministry of Public Health and Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) will roll out a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccination Campaign aimed at immunising 36, 000 girls between the ages of nine and 13 across Guyana.

Read more: 36,000 girls targeted in HPV campaign

HPV has the potential to develop genital warts and cervical cancer.

In the case of Mortley, she experienced vaginal bleeding at age 63, and days after was diagnosed with Stage Three Cervical Cancer.

Rukhmin Mortley underwent treatment at the Cancer Institute of Guyana resulting in her being cured.

Fifteen days after completing her treatment, Mortley, in July, was again scanned, and was told by oncologists at the Cancer Institute that she was free of cancer.

Warning that it is not only a painful but costly experience, the grandmother of five is calling on parents to protect their daughters from the disease by getting them vaccinated.

Mortley, backed by her husband David, is endorsing the use of the HPV vaccine.

Additionally, she is encouraging sexually active women to get their pap smears and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) done to determine whether they have cancerous cells in the cervix.

The HPV vaccine was introduced in Guyana during a campaign from 2012-2014, however, there were mixed reactions.

When approached recently, some parents signaled their willingness, others objected. Lavern Stoll-Clyne, a Central Georgetown mother, said she would allow her 13-year-old daughter to receive the HPV vaccine.

She was convinced to do so after watching a documentary on cervical cancer, during which, a patient had blamed her mother for not allowing her to take the vaccine. Marla Douglas, a Linden mother of three, said her nine-year-old daughter will also be taking the vaccine, saying prevention is better than cure.

A public servant and West Bank Demerara mother of two, who requested anonymity, did not object to the HPV vaccine, but stated that she would have to conduct her research.

“I wouldn’t allow my daughters to be vaccinated in a public campaign…. It is my decision what types of vaccines they get, how frequent and at what age. My issue is not particularly with the vaccines, but with the state imposing it at their will,” she stated.

Dr. Syed Ghazi, Director of Outreach at the Cancer Institute, said there are many myths associated with vaccines and treatments such as the HPV vaccine, but stressed that after years of research, the HPV vaccine has proven to be effective in the prevention of cervical cancer. As of 2017, 71 countries include the HPV vaccine in their routine vaccinations, at least for girls.

It is believed that persons are more receptive now towards the HVP vaccine, VIA testing and Pap smears now when compared to the early 2000s because of the availability of information.

Like Mortley, Dr. Syed Ghazi is calling on parents to embrace the use of the HPV vaccine.

During a recent media brown bag meeting, PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow, said cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women of reproductive age group.

According to PAHO/WHO, over 83,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 36,000 died from the disease in the region of the Americas, in 2012.

“If this trend continues, the number of deaths in the Americas is projected to increase by 45% by the year 2030,” Dr. Adu-Krow warned.

Photograph showing the outer layer of the cervix when it is in its normal stage to when it starts to develop cancer. (Mobieg Photo)

However, it was noted that approximately 70 per cent of cancer cases could be avoided through HPV vaccination of adolescent girls.

Taking approximately 20 years to develop in women with normal immune systems; cervical

cancer tends to appear only after the cancer has reached an advanced stage, according Director of Maternal Child Health (MCH), Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton.

Symptoms include:

  • Abnormal vaginal bleeding after sexual intercourse
  • Back, leg or pelvic pain
  • Fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite
  • Vaginal discomfort or odorous discharge;
  • Swollen legs

Not all vaginal bleeding is linked to cervical cancer.In Guyana, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women with the number of cases increasing. Every year 27 out of every 100,000 women die from cervical cancer in Guyana, according to the Public Health Ministry.

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