As a member of Generation X, I’ve grieved over a few people known or close to me who’ve died a little earlier than expected, of such causes as heart attacks and the dreaded CA. At this stage in life, health is a paramount concern. We can never eat too much, drink excessively or enjoy things with abandon because we’re going to pay for it, sooner or later.
Among women, cervical cancer is of special interest because it is second only to breast cancer in being the leading cause of death for Pinays. We were there when GSK Philippines launched their Put On Your Power Pout! campaign against cervical cancer last May 28. And we learned these astonishing facts from guest speaker, the obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Esther Ganzon:
– 8 in 10 women will acquire HPV infection at some point in their life. And of these HPV types, 15 are cancer-causing.
– Chances of acquiring HPV peak at age 30 and incidence is highest at ages 40 to 55. Figures show that the age of patients is getting younger, even among the highly-educated sector. Those aged 15 to 19 are a very vulnerable group.
– Cancer of the cervix affects women regardless of age or economic status.
– Risk factors for the disease are smoking, early sexual intercourse, multiple sex partners, multiple childbirth, co-infection with HIV and long-term contraceptive use.
– HPV infection can be acquired through skin-to-skin contact, not necessarily penetrative intercourse.
Professionals like Dr. Ganzon recommend regular Pap smears to detect cancer of the cervix, which often shows no signs or symptoms at its early stage. Vaccination is also advised for young girls as early as age 9 so they are protected from HPV infection when they enter adolescence.
As part of the #PowerPout and #PowerOverCervicalCancer campaign, GSK invited the lifestyle media to an engaging program at the Makati Shang-ri La last May 28. GSK collaborated with VMV Hypoallergenics in enjoining all the guests to wear purple lipstick to show their support to the campaign.
I spotted lovely media celebrities Andi Manzano-Reyes and Ginger Conejero –
Dr. Ganzon –
Young blogger Vina Guerrero excitedly tries on VMV Tutu which is a great purple shade to work with…
Yours truly wore red but I posted the purple kiss mark on the wall to show my support for the campaign.
Join this movement. Take a photo of yourself wearing purple lipstick (or a photo of you holding your kiss mark from the lipstick) and post it on Instagram and Facebook with the hashtags #PowerPout and #PowerOverCervicalCancer!
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