Filipino women have a long history of fighting for freedom. From the colonial era to contemporary times, they have demonstrated the strength associated with this pursuit. They strive for freedom of speech, freedom of suffrage, and equal rights.

However, as long as diseases like cancer can take hold of their lives, hostage, they are at its mercy, and therefore not completely free. In fact, breast and cervical cancers are among the most common and fatal cancers in women. In 2020 alone, more than 10,000 Filipinas died of breast cancer and more than 4,000 lost their battle with cervical cancer.

That is why, in line with the Independence Day celebration last June, Hope from Within (HFW), a multi-stakeholder cancer advocacy spearheaded by MSD in the Philippines, organized the “Kalayaan ng Kababaihan mula sa Kanser” Women’s Cancers Summit.
The event brought attention to the plight of women afflicted with cancer, empower them, and amplify their voices as they battle the disease head-on.
Hosting the event is Ayn Bernos, a Tiktok content creator and one of the influential voices in women empowerment on social media. Following a breast cancer scare last year, Ayn underwent surgery to remove a lump on her breast. She gave a voice to the concerns, fears, and hopes of Filipina women who sought liberation from these illnesses.

Understanding triple-negative breast cancer
There are many types of breast cancer, one of which is triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). It is considered aggressive cancer because it grows quickly, is more likely to have spread at the time it’s found, and is more likely to come back after treatment than other types of breast cancer. This cancer tends to be more common in women younger than age 40.
Medical oncologist Dr. Josephine Tolentino discussed the signs and symptoms of TNBC, preventive tips as well as diagnostics tests that will help patients identify TNBC. Dr. Tolentino will also highlight the role of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) in providing holistic treatment and care for patients.
The MDT can include a medical, surgical, and radiation oncologist, a pathologist, a radiologist, a breast surgeon, a psychiatrist, and more depending on the cancer condition.
In multidisciplinary care, instead of benefitting from only one expert’s medical judgment, a team of specialists will convene to discuss the most optimal treatment approach for the patient depending on their prognosis. Based on a study, patients with an organized MDT even saw increased 5-year survival rates.
Patients will also learn about several treatment options available for breast cancer which may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatments.
In addition to the medical expert, breast cancer survivors Dr. Gia Sison and Jaymee Joaquin shared their personal stories and give hope to cancer patients, while cancer advocate and celebrity Dianne Medina narrated the journey of her mom who succumbed to breast cancer.
Guest artists including R&B singer/composer Quest, and indie-pop duo Leanne and Naara, provided inspiration through their music.

Committed to eliminating cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.
Although most infections with HPV resolve spontaneously and cause no symptoms, persistent infection can cause cervical cancer in women.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed its global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.
WHO targets: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15, 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45, and 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and with invasive cancer managed.
Dr. Efren Domingo, Vice President of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, informed attendees of the importance of screening, vaccination, and available treatment options for cervical cancer patients.

Providing healthcare access to Filipinas
Equitable access to quality cancer care has been the dream of cancer patients, survivors, and their families. With the passage of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) in 2019, the government can strengthen cancer control in the country, increase cancer survivorship and reduce the burden on families and cancer patients.
This landmark health legislation was designed to provide cancer patients with quality health care services, increase access to innovative treatment options, and provide their families with financial risk protection, among other cancer-relevant items.
Dr. Clarito Cairo, Program Manager for Cancer of the Department of Health (DOH) will share updates on the current and upcoming programs of the DOH that provide cancer care assistance and support to patients. Joining Cairo in this segment is Dr. Cecilia Llave, technical adviser of SUCCESS Jhpiego who will provide insights from the ground regarding cancer care at the community level.
Cancer patients and care groups continue to advocate for the swift and complete implementation of healthcare laws in the Philippines. HFW is committed to renewing hope and reinforcing the fight for Filipino cancer patients through timely and medical-professional-backed information on navigating the cancer patient journey. Resources can be accessed through the Hope From Within website and Facebook page.

Cancer can affect anyone. Each one has a role to support cancer patients and survivors by signing the petition on the urgent implementation of the NICCA, which provides benefits that are needed for their treatment and recovery while allowing them a better quality of life. Make your signature matter. Sign the petition by visiting https://www.change.org/p/department-of-health-sign-the-petition-to-fully-implement-the-national-integrated-cancer-control-act-nicca-now.

This article was originally published in MANILASTANDARD.NET.

In line with its commitment to educate the general public about the importance of immunization against pneumonia, MSD in the Philippines, together with the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) and Philstar.com, organized a webinar on the importance of pneumonia vaccination titled Jab Well Done! Usapang Bakuna Kontra Pulmonya last July 29.

In this webinar, a panel of experts joined forces to bust long-standing myths about pneumonia prevention and immunization.

“We use our lungs every day. We cannot breathe and we cannot exist without our lungs,” says Dr. Rontgene Solante, one of the leading specialists in vaccination and adult infectious diseases in the country. No wonder one of the leading causes of death worldwide primarily impacts our lungs—pneumonia.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of death and hospitalization among the elderly and in people living with long-term chronic diseases. In the Philippines alone, pneumonia was the seventh leading cause of death in 2021.

Pneumonia also tops the list of illnesses that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) processes claims and reimbursements annually, added Solante, who is also the head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Unit of San Lazaro Hospital and a member of the Vaccine Expert Panel of the Department of Health (DOH). 

“While pneumonia is among the leading causes of death, it is also a vaccine-preventable disease,” Bryan Posadas, national program manager of the Pharmacy-Based Immunization Program of the Philippine Pharmacists Association (PPhA), shared.

COVID-19 and pneumonia are often referred to as the “deadly duo,” as COVID-19 is now a primary risk factor for pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease. As such, pneumococcal vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic has become more critical than ever.

Vaccination is one of the most vital and cost-effective tools available in health care to help prevent infectious diseases like pneumonia. However, vaccine awareness and availability do not immediately translate to immunization, explained Dr. Kim Patrick Tejano, program manager of the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the DOH. 

Addressing pneumonia myths​​​​​​​

Myth 1: Pneumonia is just a bad cold

No, pneumonia is not just a bad cold, explained Solante. Colds are an infection of the upper respiratory tract and are usually manageable. Pneumonia, on the other hand, is an infection of the lower respiratory tract that inflames the lungs and air sacs (alveoli).

When inflamed, the air sacs may fill up with fluid or pus, causing symptoms such as cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing. Unlike colds, pneumonia is life-threatening, causing complications such as respiratory failure, sepsis, and lung abscess.

Myth 2: You get pneumonia from dried sweat and overfatigue

No, you cannot get pneumonia from dried sweat and overfatigue, explained Tejano. As explained earlier, pneumonia is a swelling or an inflammation in one or both lungs usually caused by an infection.

Different germs can cause pneumonia, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, including influenza and the COVID-19 virus. The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by the bacteria-like organism, Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Myth 3: Pneumonia only affects the elderly

Pneumonia can affect people of any age, explains Solante. However, pneumonia is more likely to affect and have serious complications for infants and young children, people 50 years old and above, people with weakened immune systems, and adults with other chronic medical conditions.

Regardless of age, one is also more likely to get pneumonia if they have diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or heart disease. Smokers and heavy drinkers are also at high risk of getting pneumonia. These vulnerable groups are recommended to get their pneumococcal vaccine.

Myth 4: You only need one pneumonia vaccine in your lifetime

Much like with the COVID-19 vaccine, you need more than one shot of the pneumonia vaccine, explained Posadas. According to the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID), pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) are recommended for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease in adults 50 years old and older.

The current PSMID adult immunization guidelines recommend two pneumococcal vaccines, given in a sequential approach. The vaccines are usually given 1 year apart or 8 weeks for those who are immunocompromised.

Myth 5: COVID-19 vaccines can protect me against pneumonia 

While the COVID-19 vaccine can help protect one from the severe symptoms of the coronavirus, it does not guarantee protection from pneumonia. Specific vaccines protect against specific kinds of diseases and infections; as such, the COVID-19 vaccine can only protect you from COVID-19, explained Solante.    

As stated, COVID-19 is now regarded as a key risk factor for pneumococcal pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease. As such, it is recommended that high-risk individuals get their pneumococcal vaccine as soon as possible.

Immunizing pharmacists in action

Despite vaccines being readily available, safe and effective, vaccine hesitancy remains. As such, we need the continued cooperation and collaboration of allied medical and health professionals to ramp up vaccine awareness and immunization, especially among the most vulnerable members of the population.

Pharmacists have been identified by the public as among the most accessible health care professionals as well as a trustworthy source of health information.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists helped fast-track COVID-19 vaccination through the ResBakuna sa Botika Program, a joint government and private sector initiative that aims to expand the country’s immunization program.

Through this program, pharmacists embraced their role as adult immunizers to help address the shortage of vaccinators. Adult vaccines, such as pneumococcal vaccines and flu shots, are made available in local pharmacies and drugstore chains nationwide and can now be administered by pharmacists.

The PPhA provides a training and certification program for immunizing pharmacists, where they undergo theoretical learning, skills training and basic life support before they can be certified to administer adult vaccines.

Today, there are around 1,000 trained and certified immunizing pharmacists in local pharmacies and drugstore chains nationwide and there are more in the pipeline, Posadas shared.

“Get correct information from trusted health care professionals, including pharmacists. Trust the experts. Vaccination is another layer of protection,” he said.

“We strongly encourage everyone to get their age-appropriate vaccines to protect themselves and the people around them from vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumonia. All you need to do is visit the nearest health center to know the available vaccines and schedules. Let’s all get vaccinated for a healthier Philippines,” Tejano concluded.

This article has been originally published on Philstar.com.

Today’s adolescents are expected to shape the future. But to maximize their potential, the society needs to empower the youth by ensuring that they grow into learned, confident, and healthy adults. 

Thirty million young people between the ages of 10-24 account for 28 percent of the Philippine population. Adolescent immunization rates continue to remain low, despite the success of pediatric vaccination programs.

In her talk titled Vaccination for Teens during the 2021 Philippine National Immunization Conference (PNIC 2021), Dr. Cecilia Llave, gynecologic-oncologist and technical adviser of the Scale Up Cervical Cancer Elimination with Secondary Prevention Strategy (SUCCESS) project of JHPIEGO, (a Johns Hopkins University affiliate) said that lack of access to healthcare compounded with risk-taking behaviors and low health literacy make them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections like human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis B.

She laments that many teens in developing nations like the Philippines may have missed childhood doses. But unfortunately, it is also at this stage when the efficacy of childhood vaccination wanes. “We should target adolescents even though they look generally healthy,” Dr. Llave said. 

She cautions that mothers who may have missed their routine immunization may be susceptible to rubella and measles, which may lead to congenital disabilities such as microcephaly, intellectual disabilities, and eyesight or hearing defects.

Furthermore, “Immunized adolescents will protect the vulnerable by contributing to herd immunity,” which is essential in battling highly contagious diseases like measles and polio. 

“We don’t want any outbreaks just like the ongoing pandemic,” she said.  

Re-emergence of VPDs amid COVID-19

The current pandemic has underscored the role of vaccines as an important public health strategy. However, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination Inc. (PFV) president Dr. Liza Antoinette Gonzales reminded that while we are dealing with the global scourge that is COVID-19, there are also other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) that may result in further outbreaks if not addressed. 

“The pandemic does not wipe out these diseases,” she warns. “We cannot trade one health crisis for another.”

This is reiterated by the World Health Organization representative to the Philippines, Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, one of the keynote speakers during the event. He reported that the country remains a high-risk spot for re-emergence of VPDs, just like the polio and measles comeback in 2018. 

He added an urgent need for a rapid scale up of immunization programs to help prevent large-scale outbreaks of VPDs, especially measles, rubella, diphtheria, and potentially, polio, as it is still in circulation globally. 

The importance of HPV vaccination

Some parents may balk at the idea of giving HPV vaccines to their pre-teen daughters. But healthcare practitioners can’t emphasize enough the importance of giving the vaccine at an age before the patient is potentially exposed to HPV.

Dr. Llave shares that low-risk HPV types are the culprit behind genital warts, while high-risk HPV may cause six types of cancers, including cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the Philippines, with 7,277 new cases diagnosed and 3,807 deaths annually. Regular screening can help diagnose infection at an early stage, and HPV vaccine can prevent more than 90 percent of cancers caused by HPV.

Promoting vaccine acceptance 

In his special message to the conference attendees, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque acknowledges that more work is needed to raise vaccine confidence for HPV, polio, and COVID-19. 

That is why the PFV, through its annual PNIC, continues to raise awareness on the benefits of a vaccinated population, increase confidence and dispel hesitancy. Now on its 22nd run with the theme “Understanding Vaccination in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic,” the event gathers all stakeholders in the vaccine advocacy to exchange ideas, learnings, methods, and experiences on national immunization as the country grapples with the scourge of COVID-19.

“Health should be on top of the list.”

Content creator, podcast host, entrepreneur, and mother, Saab Magalona-Bacarro has officially made the call to protect her children against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Being a mom of two boys – Pancho and Vito, Saab makes sure that health is on top of every list for her family. “It’s the most important thing because if that is overlooked, everything else will just crumble down,” she said.

That’s why for her, saying YES to Call the Shots, is a “no-brainer” to help promote awareness and education on something as life-saving as protecting our children from vaccine-preventable diseases. The Call the Shots PH is an advocacy campaign by MSD Philippines to help protect parents and their children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Vaccination is a big factor in preventing illnesses and spreading disease,” she said. “It’s a few minutes of crying in exchange for long-term protection against life-threatening diseases so it’s very much worth it.”

Saab also advised other parents who are still not taking the call. “If you need to do more research, please make sure your readings are science-based!” Saab emphasized as a lot of articles and myths can be easily searched on the internet. It is most important to seek advice from a health professional or from your pediatrician.

She also said that it is important to be proactive in your children’s health. “Do it for your child,” Saab added as she encourages every parent to speak to their doctor about protecting their children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Being proactive means making the call today. #CallTheShots now and go to the nearest doctor or healthcare provider to talk about the immunization schedule for your child.

For more information, visit the Call the Shots Facebook Page and consult your pediatrician on how to protect your children against vaccine-preventable diseases.