Portugal Travel

February 1, 2009

Three new cases of cervical cancer each day in Portugal and a Portuguese die daily because of this disease. Figures show that the urgency of combating the human papilloma virus (HPV) that causes this cancer.

Vitor Veloso, president of the Portuguese League Against Cancer (CCPL), said the vaccination program reimbursed by the Health Ministry, but stressed that more must be done. "We started in October 2008 with the girls of 13 years. This year we will reach up to 17 years. We know that 80 percent of girls between 18 and 25 years wanted to have more knowledge on the subject, but only 25 percent have a desire to be vaccinated. This must change, he said.

Teresa Osório, the core of the northern CCPL is the same view and even has a suggestion: "The screening must be free. We have to see the rule that the initial investment is higher, but it is worse then having to deal with. We must fight these shameful numbers that we have!"

Portugal has even higher incidence rate in Western Europe, with 13.5 infected women in 100 thousand, as shown Eduardo Franco of McGill University, Canada. Still, the teacher emphasized the 'success in raising awareness of Portugal, which will bring positive results in the long term.

Machado Lopes, clinical director of the Port IPO, he left a promise to northern women. "We are working with all hospitals of the North to try to centralize the screening here in the IPO. We are talking about 140 thousand tests per year, and we must adapt our capabilities. But by April we take this to work, guaranteed.

The campaign 'Pass the word "CCPL was one of the highlights of the seminar" The vaccines in preventing cervical cancer, which took place this Friday, the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto. The chairman of the CCPL said the European award which recognized his success.