THE Department of Health (DOH) is urging parents and guardians to allow their daughters in Grades 4 and 5 to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to help protect them against cervical cancer.
In an online media briefing, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman said the department continues to encourage parents to have their daughters vaccinated.
“Instead of treating them, we want cervical cancer prevented. Thus, it is necessary to have them receive the HPV vaccines,” De Guzman said.
The DOH is targeting around two million eligible female learners from Grades 4 and 5 in selected public and private schools, as well as out-of-school youth.
Approximately nine percent of the target population are out-of-school youth, De Guzman said.
Under the ongoing School-Based Immunization Program, the DOH has vaccinated 53,716 female students so far.
De Guzman said only one adverse event following immunization (AEFI) had been recorded among the vaccinated learners since monitoring began in September 2026. The incident was classified as non-serious.
“Based on studies, around 2% of those who received the HPV vaccine may experience headaches, fatigue, and dizziness,” she said.
The DOH said the HPV vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent cervical cancer, which it identified as the second most prevalent type of cancer in the Philippines.
DOH data showed an estimated 7,829 cervical cancer patients in the country as of 2022. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)