Jeanette, a woman who shared her story with the World Health Organization (WHO), described feeling “betrayed by my body” after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, a disease that claimed her life within a year. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women and develops in the cervix, potentially spreading to other parts of the body if not detected or treated early. WHO emphasizes that the illness is both preventable and curable, highlighting it each January during Cancer Awareness Month.
In 2022, approximately 660,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide, and about 350,000 women died from the disease, according to WHO. UNICEF notes that globally, a woman dies from cervical cancer every two minutes. Nearly all cases are linked to infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV), a common virus transmitted through sexual contact. While most sexually active people will encounter HPV, the immune system typically clears it naturally; persistent infection with certain carcinogenic HPV types can cause abnormal cell growth that may develop into cancer.
Cervical cancer is preventable and highly treatable when diagnosed early. WHO recommends HPV vaccination for all girls aged 9–14, before they become sexually active, and cervical screening from age 30, or from age 25 for women living with HIV. When detected early and managed effectively, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer. However, unequal access to vaccination, screening, and treatment contributes to higher incidence and mortality rates in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
In response, 194 countries launched a global strategy in 2020 to eliminate cervical cancer, marking 17 November as World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day. The strategy sets ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030: vaccinating 90 percent of girls against HPV by age 15, screening 70 percent of women with a high-performance test by ages 35 and 45, and ensuring 70 percent of diagnosed women receive treatment. Successful implementation of this strategy could avert an estimated 74 million new cases and prevent 62 million deaths by 2120.
