Banna HPV drive heads to Seoul for global health congress

A community vaccination campaign launched in Banna, Ilocos Norte, is set to take the province’s public health experience to an international stage after its HPV vaccination model was selected for presentation at the World Hospital Congress in Seoul, South Korea.

Banna Mayor Mary Chrislyn Co Abadilla, MD, will present the province’s HPV vaccination experience during the congress on 18 October, highlighting how Ilocos Norte reached 90 percent coverage among its 9- to 14-year-old population.

The achievement was driven in part by Banna’s “Banna’s Shield” program, which promoted HPV vaccination as a preventive measure against cervical cancer.

Abadilla said the study was initially submitted as a poster presentation with fellow doctors. The organizers, however, took interest in the Ilocos Norte model and later elevated it to an oral presentation.

The mayor said the presentation will focus on the province’s experience in reaching the 90-percent coverage target recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

For Abadilla, bringing the Ilocos Norte model to Seoul is an opportunity to share how local governments can help improve vaccination coverage through community-based initiatives.

The mayor is also set to participate as a panelist in a discussion on cervical cancer elimination in Ilocos Norte on October 8.

The back-to-back engagements underscore the province’s efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare, particularly through HPV vaccination, which helps protect against infections linked to cervical cancer.

Ilocos Norte’s reported 90-percent coverage among the target age group also puts the province among local health programs that have demonstrated the potential of sustained community-level vaccination efforts.