LAOAG CITY, May 10 -- Nine-year old Athena Ysabel Bonilla of Barangay 12, Banna, Ilocos Norte, received her human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine on Friday, shielding her against cervical cancer.

Bonilla, along with over 1,000 girls aged 9-14 in Banna town completed their immunization on the same day, making it the first municipality nationwide to achieve a 90 percent vaccination rate towards eliminating cervical cancer which remains the second most common cancer among women worldwide.

Although most infections with HPV are harmless and go by itself, some types cause cervical cancer in women.

In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported an estimated 600,000 women worldwide diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 300,000 women die...