This week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will meet with governments, donors and civil society in Cartagena, Colombia, to celebrate the Global Forum for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, giving the Latin American and Caribbean region the opportunity to take leadership in this process.
Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). It is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women in Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 63,000 cases diagnosed each year and 33,000 lives lost. Furthermore, it is a disease that disproportionately affects women in situations of poverty and vulnerability, and the vast majority of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The strategy for eliminating this disease is ambitious but simple: countries must vaccinate 90% of girls by age 15, provide 70% of women with HPV testing by age 35, and once more before 45, and treat 90% of women with precancerous lesions and cancer.
With efficient strategies for HPV vaccination and detection, cervical cancer, caused by HPV, might be the first to be eliminated, an effort led by Latin America and the Caribbean.
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