Girls aged 15 to 17 in Banna, Ilocos Norte, are being gifted with lifetime protection against human papillomavirus (HPV) this Christmas season as the local government unit is taking bolder steps in its catch-up vaccination program.

Setting a national benchmark in HPV immunization, a total of 353 adolescent females from the town’s five secondary schools received their first dose of the HPV vaccine on Monday at the municipal session hall.

“We are opting to vaccinate the children beyond 14 years old (15-17 years old) who were missed to be vaccinated during (the) pandemic,” Banna Mayor Mary Chrislyn Abadilla told the Philippine News Agency after administering the vaccines to some of the girls with their parent’s consent.

In May this year, Banna became the first municipality nationwide to achieve a 90 percent vaccination rate toward eliminating cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among Filipino women aged 15 to 44.

From a fourth-class municipality, Banna is now a first-class municipality, which prioritizes healthcare for residents.

The local government unit (LGU) of Banna has allocated nearly PHP1.68 million from its general fund this year for the catch-up immunization program.

“This is the greatest and priceless gift that we could ever give you,” said Abadilla, a doctor, as she stressed the importance of the vaccination to prevent most cases of cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases.

She said that with the support of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Banna LGU, all the town’s teen age girls are covered by the catch-up immunization program, including those who are non-residents but are studying in Banna’s secondary schools.

Abadilla vowed to push and advocate for a community-based approach to strengthen the government’s cervical cancer awareness program.

From 2020 to 2023, cervical cancer patients at the state-run Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City increased to 178, with 13 deaths, according to Dr. Adolavni Magpily, obstetrics and gynecology specialist in the province who is leading an awareness campaign to prevent cervical cancer.

“There are still those who do not like to receive the vaccine but through a community effort to educate the public about the effectiveness of the vaccines, we hope to find ways and help augment in closing the gap of 17,000 doses and be able to hit the 90 percent target immunization rate for the province,” she said.

Magpily said most cases of cervical cancer can be prevented with HPV vaccination if two doses of vaccine are given to girls or women before exposure to the virus.

The vaccine also prevents HPV types that cause most genital warts, she said.

On the case of Banna’s catch-up immunization for 15 to 17 years old, they need to complete three doses to strengthen their protection against the virus, she added.

“We are grateful that our municipal government care for our children. Aside from education, their health and protection from diseases are the ones that truly matter to us,” said Alona Ibus, 43, as she accompanied her only daughter Arianne Mae, 15, to receive her vaccine on Monday.

She said Arianne Mae is lucky to be given a second chance to receive the vaccine because she was sick at the time of administration of the vaccine. (PNA)