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Could Australia Be the First Country to Eliminate Cervical Cancer? It's on Track, but HPV Vaccination and Screening Rates Are Falling
Key takeaways
- Tintin0312 via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 Australia is on track to become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer, largely because of a national vaccination program to prevent the disease.
- Still, no new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in women under age 25 in 2021, the latest data available, per the report.
- Cervical cancer occurs when cells grow out of control in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.
Tintin0312 via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 Australia is on track to become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer, largely because of a national vaccination program to prevent the disease. It’s aiming to hit that goal by 2035, but a dip in immunization rates and cervical screenings is also raising red flags, according to the country’s most recent Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress Report.
Still, no new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in women under age 25 in 2021, the latest data available, per the report. That’s a first since experts began keeping these records in 1982.
“Australia is leading the world in cervical cancer elimination, but we must maintain momentum to make this goal a reality,” says Rebecca White, Australian assistant minister for health and aged care, Indigenous health and women, in a government statement.