Early Detection And Vaccination Is The Key To Preventing Cervical Cancer

MSD Press Conference Holds First Vaccine Convention, IVAXCON (VOI/Adelia)

JAKARTA - Cervical cancer is still a serious threat to Indonesian women.dr. Dirga Sakti Rambe, M.Sc, Sp.PD, FRSPH, FINASIM, Internal Medicine Specialist says every two minutes, a woman in the world dies from cervical cancer.

The situation in Indonesia is also very worrying. Within a year, it was recorded that 20,708 women died from cervical cancer. This means that every day there are 57 Indonesian women who die from this cancer.

He said the majority of new cases of cervical cancer were found at an advanced age. This was revealed by dr. Dirga at the 2025 IVAXCON (Indonesian Vaccine Convention) health dialogue forum organized by MSD Indonesia.

"About 70% of cases of cervical cancer were only found when the patient was old," he explained, when met at InterContinental Pondok Indah, South Jakarta on Saturday, April 26.

dr. Dirga explained that the cause of cervical cancer was almost entirely triggered by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus. More concerning, this virus infection attacks a lot of productive age.

"HPV is a very common virus. As many as 99% of cases of cervical cancer are caused by HPV infection," said dr. Dirga.

HPV infections can also cause other diseases. One in four people infected with high risk HPV. Diseases related to HPV include cervical cancer, penis cancer, throat cancer, and genital warts.

Therefore, prevention through vaccines is the first step that can be done. Vaccines provide long-term or even life-long protection against certain diseases.

"The HPV vaccine protects us both through natural infections and vaccinations," explained dr. Dirga.

The effectiveness of the HPV vaccine has been proven globally. In countries with high HPV vaccination coverage such as the UK, Australia, and Sweden, HPV infections have dropped dramatically.

Australia is predicted to be free from cervical cancer by 2035, thanks to the HPV vaccination program which began in 2007. Besides being effective, the HPV vaccine is also safe.

"Since 2006, more than 1.2 billion doses of HPV vaccine have been administered in more than 140 countries. There are no serious safety concerns directly related to vaccines," he stressed.

dr. Dirga emphasized the importance of vaccination for various age groups. Vaccination before marriage will provide maximum protection results.

"The HPV vaccine can prevent more than 90% of cancer and genital warts caused by HPV. Therefore, vaccination is important not only for women, but also for men," he explained.

In addition to vaccination, early detection is also an important pillar in preventing cervical cancer. "The secondary prevention is carried out through HPV screening, such as pap smear testing, visual asset inspection (IVA), and DNA HPV testing," said dr. Dirga.

Not only talking about the HPV vaccine, dr. Dirga also highlighted the great benefits of vaccination in general.

"Vaccination prevents 4-5 million deaths each year. Since 1974, 154 million lives have been saved thanks to the vaccination program." he said.

Dalam kesempatan acara tersebut, MSD Indonesia juga memperkenalkan kehadirannya, chatbot AIyang akan segera hadir di website NgobrolinHPV.com, sebagai salah satu sumber informasi berpercaya seputar HPV yang menjawab kebutuhan generasi muda.