Australia on Track to Eliminate Cervical Cancer by 2035
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Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035, or possibly sooner, through widespread HPV vaccination and a rebuilt screening system. The country's incidence rate is already nearing the World Health Organization (WHO) elimination threshold, though progress for Indigenous women is slower. Australia is also assisting neighboring countries in pursuing cancer elimination.
Facts First
- Australia is projected to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035 through vaccination and screening
- HPV vaccination rates for girls under 15 are just above 80% and a more sensitive screening test is used every five years
- Cervical cancer incidence has halved since 1982 and no cases were diagnosed in women under 25 in 2021
- Progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is slower, with elimination projected 12 years after the national target
- Australia is assisting neighbors like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea in pursuing cancer elimination
What Happened
Australia is on track to reach the milestone of eliminating cervical cancer by 2035, or possibly sooner. The strategy involves widespread Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and a rebuilt screening system. Professor Karen Canfell, an epidemiologist, used modeling to help chart this path with the World Health Organization (WHO). Since records began in 1982, cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in Australia have halved. The country launched a national vaccination program in 2007, extended it to boys in 2013, and replaced traditional pap smears with a more sensitive HPV-based cervical screening test in 2017.
Why this Matters to You
If you or someone you know is a woman in Australia, your risk of developing cervical cancer has significantly decreased and continues to fall. You have access to a highly effective vaccine and a more sensitive screening test that is required only every five years, with the option to collect your own sample. This progress may lead to cervical cancer becoming a rare disease in Australia within the next decade. However, if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander woman, your risk remains higher, and achieving the same level of protection may take longer.
What's Next
On the current trajectory, Australia is likely to meet the WHO elimination threshold of fewer than four cases per 100,000 women by 2035. The country may also continue to use public funding and philanthropy to assist neighbors like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. To reach the goal, efforts will need to address factors contributing to uneven progress, including higher vaccine hesitancy following the COVID-19 pandemic and children missing school-based vaccinations. Elimination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is projected to occur 12 years after the national 2035 target.