Cervical cancer

Over 72,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 34,000 died from this disease in the Region of the Americas, in 2018. Cervical cancer mortality rates are 3 times higher in Latin America and the Caribbean than in North America, highlighting inequities in health. Screening women for cervical pre-cancer, followed by treatment, is a cost-effective intervention to prevent cervical cancer. Vaccination against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) can reduce significatively the risk of cervical cancer. PAHO recommends to vaccinate girls from 9 to 14 years-old, when it is more effective. HPV vaccines are available in 35 countries and territories of the Americas, but coverage rates with the two doses do not reach yet 80% of girls. Along with HPV vaccination, screening and treatment of precanceous lesions can prevent new cases and deaths.