SANTA CRUZ, Manila — Citing data on increasing cases of papillomavirus (HPV) among young girls, the Department of Health (DoH) announced that it will launching soon a vaccination program to address concerns of the spread of the sexual disease.

Health secretary Teodoro 'Ted' Herbosa disclosed recently that they are ready to roll out its planned HPV vaccination program for all young girls, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval of the budget for the initiative.

“What I asked of the President—and he granted—was to allocate the budget for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for all girls; it’s very important because the HPV vaccination is expensive, P4,000 per dose, two doses are needed, P8,000 per nine-year-old girl,” Herbosa stated during a media briefing.

According to the health chief, the HPV vaccine is a protection against most cases of cervical cancer.

Based on the latest data, some 7,897 Filipinas are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and 4,052 die from the disease. It also ranks second in cancers among women in the country and the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44.