Saudi Gazette Report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia is set to launch a huge program to immunize girls at age 9 to 13 against cervical cancer soon, Deputy Minister for Preventive Health and the Infectious Diseases Consultant Dr. Abdullah Bin Mufreh Asiri has stated.

Girls will be immunized with the HPV vaccine, with Dr. Asiri indicating that the HPV vaccine will help to eliminate the cervical cancer danger in women.

Dr. Asiri stressed that cervical cancer is considered one of the most dangerous types of cancer.

It is noteworthy that The World Health Organization (WHO) set out earlier a report for eliminating cervical cancer, as it is the fourth most common cancer among women globally.

Death rates are three times higher in in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.

The disease is caused by two types of human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually-transmitted infection that exists in more than 100 different forms, with symptoms that can be painful and stigmatizing.

In some cases, cervical cancer may occur as a result of neglect of personal hygiene, in addition to infection with Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Some studies have found that smoking may cause cervical cancer.