We all need to recognise and act upon the preventable nature of HPV: Dr Kenneth Alexander

Dr Kenneth Alexander Addresses Indian Doctors on HPV Vaccination & Prevention at International Speaker Program hosted by MSD India

In an endeavour to address the high prevalence of cervical cancer in India and highlight the importance of vaccination for adolescent girls and boys, MSD India hosted the International Speaker Program, which will be conducted across four metro cities in India where a renowned global expert is invited to address the Indian pediatricians and gynecologists on a series of topics related to HPV disease burden and prevention.

The inaugural discussion by Dr Kenneth Alexander, M.D., PhD, Chief, Divisions of Infectious Diseases, Nemours Children’s Hospital-Florida, U.S.A., took place in Mumbai, where he addressed over 50 healthcare professionals on counselling challenges, HPV disease burden in India, importance of vaccination in eligible cohorts, vaccination coverage in India and the advantages of early vaccination.

While addressing the healthcare professionals, Dr Alexander said “A robust awareness movement to make doctors, academics, researchers, and the public, is essential to drive the message of the importance of timely diagnosis of HPV-related disease. Even more important, we all need to recognise and act upon the preventable nature of HPV.  HPV diseases can be prevented by vaccination. HPV vaccination is key to reducing the disease burden in India. HPV vaccine is unanimously endorsed globally as an effective option for preventing cervical cancer. It is time for India to address the high disease burden through timely counselling with their doctors about the need for HPV vaccination. By doing so working with doctors and promoting HPV vaccination, India has the potential to take a major step forward towards preventing HPV-related cancers in young and mid-life adults”.

Rehan A. Khan, Managing Director, MSD India Region shared, “Cervical cancer continues to remain the second biggest cancer affecting women in India and thus preventive vaccination and awareness is crucial to addressing the disease burden. Education and awareness are important steps towards establishing vaccinations as a critical component of promoting preventive healthcare in India, while reducing vaccine preventable diseases among adolescents and adults. Engaging with global experts to learn from their experience will further empower the medical community in India to better address HPV counselling”.

Sharing his views on the subject, Dr Mukesh Gupta, MD (Ob-Gyn), DNB-Consultant obstetrician and Gynecologist said, “In India, lack of awareness of cervical cancer and cultural factors discourage parents and families from seeking medical advice. With the high incidence of cervical cancer in India, it is important to educate patients, doctors, researchers, and the community at large on the benefits of vaccination which will lead to elimination of the disease burden in the long-term. While there is an awareness gap at one end of the spectrum, there is also knowledge – action gap at the other end. If we desire to eliminate this health challenge as per the WHO global strategy, it’s time for us to call for action and reach out to masses for primary prevention in form of vaccination, secondary prevention by widespread screening and finally early diagnosis and treatment”.

MSD India will be hosting International Speaker Program events in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata to ensure healthcare professionals in India are well equipped to address the cervical cancer disease burden through learnings and discussion with experts in the subject matter and their global counterparts.