Local services
For the eleventh time, the Mályvavirág Foundation joins the European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, created on the European Cervical Cancer Association (ECCA) initiative.
The press conference to raise awareness of the programme took place on the 26th of January 2024 at the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi) – Pósa Street 1. The pearl symbolises protection and prevention against human papillomavirus (HPV).
At the event, Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, drew the attention of schoolgirls and schoolboys currently undergoing health screening at the Daefi Centre to the importance of regular HPV vaccination and screening for viral infection, as they have a solemn responsibility to protect their health.
According to the deputy mayor, neglecting screening tests significantly increases the risk of diseases not being detected in time, and delays can even have fatal consequences. As she pointed out, the situation is similar in the case of breast cancer screening, the importance of which cannot be overemphasised, as one in five women in Hungary is affected by this disease.
Regarding the free HPV vaccinations and screenings provided by the Government, Debrecen, as a caring city, is trying to promote them as widely as possible among its citizens so that they can live healthier and happier lives.
Dorina Szabados Zsadányiné, Manager of the Mályvavirág Point in Debrecen, shared her own experiences with those present. As she said, despite her young age, she had already had to undergo surgery twice. The necessity of the intervention was revealed when she took part in a screening test. She emphasised that it might be too late today if she hadn’t done that.
Csaba Papp, Director of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi), said that they see that parents in Debrecen take the importance of HPV vaccination, which was not available decades ago, very seriously, and they give it to their children whenever possible.
Education on this topic starts as early as the sixth grade in primary schools. As a result, while the national average vaccination rate for seventh-grade girls is 80-85 per cent, it is over 90 per cent in Debrecen and 80 per cent for boys, compared to 70 per cent nationally.
He encouraged parents to apply for and receive the free HPV vaccine provided by the government for their seventh-grade children. These vaccines are personalized and cannot be given to anyone but the person they request. The director stressed the importance of regular screening of girls and women from a young age, in addition to vaccination.
Local councillors Edina Szilágyi and Ibolya Aurélia Orosz also attended the event.
Source: debrecen.hu
