As we know actress and model Poonam Pandey passed away this morning after a battle with cervical cancer at the age of 32, according to her manager, it raises concerns about the lack of knowledge and understanding on cervical cancer. Despite the availability of vaccine which needs to be taken before puberty among girls prevents the incidence in the first place, yet most of us are unaware about it.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India. According to WHO report which was released on February 1, New cases of cervical cancer among Indian women is 17.7%.

What causes cervical cancer ?

Abnormal cells starts to appear and cluster around the cervix, which is the lower, narrow end of the uterus which connects to the vagina. Its caused during to Human Papillomavirus (HPV), that is transmitted during sex. Even though the virus is removed by the body's immune system, if it's a high risk one, such as HPV 16 or HPV 18, the chances of it remains stubborn and leading to cancer jump. There are 200 HPV viruses which infects people who are sexually active at some point in their lives. Which doesn't mean that it will develop cancer but a vaccine is needed to eliminate any risk.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness/poonam-pandey-death-cervical-cancer-hpv-vaccine-9140562/lite/