World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day: A Historic Milestone
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Today marks the first World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day – mandated by the World Health Assembly – a historic milestone in global efforts to end a preventable cancer. This day of action builds on powerful momentum, with countries and partners uniting to launch enterprising vaccination campaigns, expand screening and treatment services, and accelerate progress toward eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem.
The Scope of the Problem
The annual commemoration highlights a critical prospect: cervical cancer – the fourth most common cancer in women – claims over 350,000 lives each year, yet it is a disease that we have the tools to eliminate.
WHO’s Global Elimination Strategy
The Day supports the core pillars of the WHO’s global elimination strategy. These pillars are ambitious, yet achievable:
- Vaccination: Vaccinate 90% of girls against human papillomavirus (HPV).
- Screening: Screen 70% of women.
- Treatment: Treat 90% of those with pre-cancer and invasive cancer.
It serves as a critical platform to strengthen advocacy, accelerate service delivery, and mobilize resources to ensure every woman and girl has access to life-saving care.
Leadership and Progress
“In 2018, I was proud to launch the global call to action on cervical cancer elimination, and I’m even prouder now to see what was once a distant dream becoming a reality,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “More and more countries are scaling up HPV vaccination, improving screening, and expanding treatment, bringing us closer to a future free of cervical cancer.”
This momentum is underscored by the declaration from gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and its partners, who estimate that the ambitious goal to reach 86 million girls by the end of 2025 has been met, reflecting a broader wave of country action to advance national elimination plans and expand access to screening and treatment.
Country Actions
Countries are marking World Cervical Cancer Elimination day with a wave of actions on multiple fronts. Vaccination is scaling up through campaigns in Sierra Leone and Liberia targeting over 1.5 million girls. Screening efforts are also expanding, with new initiatives being launched across the globe.
Key Takeaways
- Cervical cancer is a preventable disease with effective tools available for elimination.
- The WHO’s strategy focuses on vaccination, screening, and treatment.
- Critically important progress is being made, with Gavi reporting success in reaching vaccination goals.
- World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day serves as a catalyst for increased action and resource mobilization.
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