(right-left) dr. Dyana Safitri Velies, SpPG, MKes  and Eva Talluntondok  in a Talk Show on Cervical Cancer 

Reproductive health, especially on women, becomes a very sensitive matter. A number of diseases, including cervical cancer, have been the cause of death for women which needs to be recognized and detected early on. This awareness has led the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Nursing of UPH to arrange a talk show on this topic during UPH Public Exposure, which was held at Lippo Mall Puri on July 29, 2017.

UPH Public Exposure is an event which aims to introduce the education programs in UPH as well as to share new knowledge and information to the public in relation to various issues, with the lecturers of UPH as the key speakers.

The Talk Show which was themed: ?Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine and Pap Smear for Cervical Cancer Screening?, presented lecturers from UPH Faculty of Medicine, a doctor of Siloam Hospitals, dr. Dyana Safitri Velies, SpPG, MKes., and a lecturer from UPH Faculty of Nursing,  who also works as a nurse in Siloam Hospitals, Eva Talluntondok.

dr. Dyana Explaining what Cervical Cancer truly is

dr. Dyana Began Her Explanation by Giving an Introduction to Cervical Cancer  ?Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that develops in a woman’s cervix and is caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). In fact, HPV does not only attack women, but also men in their genital areas. According to a research, 70%-75% people who are sexually active are more prone to HPV. There are numbers of other factors which could raise the risk of getting infected by HPV; including sex from such a young age, sex with more than one partner, sexually transmitted disease (STD) history, and immune disorders,? dr. Dyana explained.   She also explained that the cell change, in the beginning, does not lead to any certain symptoms, but when after a certain time after the infection, then will the cell be diagnosed as an active cervical cancer.  But, there are several symptoms which should we should be aware of, such as unpleasant smelling vaginal discharge, blood spots or light bleeding between and following periods or during intercourse. Upon entering the next stage, there will be some other symptoms such as pelvic pain and abdominal pain, as well as bleeding during urination. Moreover, the doctor also said that it takes approximately 10 years for cervical cancer to fully develop, and thus, an early detection is extremely needed.

In order to avoid cervical cancer, Eva Talluntondok also added two methods which could be done to prevent it.

?In order to prevent it, there are two things that could be done: First one is with immunization and second is check-up. An early detection could be done by doctors with an early Pap Smear scanning, as well as Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA),? Eva added.

To end the talk show, aside from immunization and check-ups, Eva also encourages the public at the time to do primary prevention. Primary prevention could be done before the said person is infected by avoiding sex before marriage, being loyal to one partner, and by using a contraceptive during intercourse. Aside from that, another prevention which could also be done is by getting Cervarix or Gardasil vaccine  

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