January has been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Global Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The Belur Rotary Club, in association with Narayana Hospital, Howrah, launched the ‘Cervical Cancer Awareness and Prevention’ Project. This campaign intends to raise awareness of cervical cancer’s preventable and curable nature, particularly in low and middle-income nations where it still poses a serious threat to women’s health.

Rotary District Governor 3291, Mr. Hira Lal Yadav, expressed his happiness to see the Rotary Club of Belur and its partner clubs start a commendable project in the new year. The goal of this project is to drastically lower the rate of cancer among women in our community.

The project, which encompasses the entire Rotary district 3291, aims to improve the lives of rural women by providing tangible support to government schools in the neighboring rural districts of Kolkata. The objective for the upcoming year is to immunize 2000 girls between the ages of 9 and 14 against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and through follow-up projects, to expand these efforts to underprivileged communities.

Dr. Kaustav Basu, Senior Consultant in Gynecologic Oncology and Robotic Surgery, at Narayana Hospital in Howrah, emphasized that immunization against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is essential for preventing cervical cancer. PAP smear and colposcopy are two highly specialized examinations that aid in the early diagnosis of pre-cancerous and cervical cancer. Early cancer detection improves survival rates.

As part of this effort, Narayana Hospital in Howrah will contact schools, arrange for cervical cancer prevention awareness events, and conduct an HPV vaccine drive so children can receive a vaccination at no additional cost.

To raise awareness about the value of early cancer detection through screening and the HPV vaccine for children, doctors from Narayana Hospital in Howrah will be visiting several schools in and around Kolkata. Schools have already been contacted about this vaccine and awareness campaign, which will include educating teachers and parents about cervical cancer. This awareness campaign, which is part of the World Cancer Day campaign, will take place in February in addition to this month.

Priyanka Dutta