Malaysia to introduce program against cervical cancer

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 25 -- Malaysia is expected to introduce a program, beginning next year, to protect young girls against cervical cancer.

Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said here on Friday that the human papilloma virus (HPV) immunization program would cost the government 150 million ringgit (42.8 million U.S. dollars) a year, involving 300,000 girls in the country.

Yet, Liow said that the matter had yet to be finalized, but it was very likely that its implementation would be through a school-based program, instead of at government hospitals or clinics.

The girls would need three doses of the HPV vaccine every six months to give them the best protection, he told reporters.

Liow said the HPV vaccine was reported to be 98 percent effective in protecting against HPV types 16 and 18, known as the cause of up to 95 percent of cervical cancer.

Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying, Liow noted that the HPV vaccine could reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by at least 70 percent.

Cervical cancer was the second most common cancer, after breast cancer, among Malaysian women, with almost 2,000 new cases diagnosed every year, according to the Malaysian Health Ministry.