UN Warns: Cervical Cancer Claims a Woman's Life Every Two Minutes | Quick Digest
The UN and its health agencies issued a stark warning that cervical cancer kills a woman every two minutes globally, despite being largely preventable and curable. This global health crisis disproportionately affects women in low-income countries due to unequal access to vaccination and screening. The UN aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.
Cervical cancer claims a woman's life every two minutes worldwide.
United Nations and WHO issue stark warning on the global health crisis.
Disease is preventable via HPV vaccination and curable with early detection.
Lack of access to screening and treatment drives high mortality in LMICs.
Global strategy launched to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.
India, like other LMICs, faces a significant burden from this preventable cancer.
The United Nations and its health agencies, including UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), have issued a dire warning, stating that a woman dies from cervical cancer every two minutes globally. This alarming statistic highlights a significant global health crisis, particularly impacting women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 2022 alone, an estimated 660,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide, and approximately 350,000 succumbed to the disease.
Despite the high mortality rate, cervical cancer is largely preventable through Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and regular screening. Moreover, if detected early and managed effectively, it is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer. The disproportionate burden of deaths, with nearly 90-94% occurring in LMICs, is attributed to unequal access to these crucial prevention and treatment services.
In response to this global challenge, 194 countries initiated a global strategy in 2020, championed by the WHO, with the ambitious goal of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem. The strategy sets key targets for 2030, including vaccinating 90% of girls against HPV by age 15, screening 70% of women by ages 35 and 45, and ensuring 90% of women diagnosed with cervical disease receive appropriate treatment. Achieving these targets could avert 74 million new cases and prevent 62 million deaths by 2120. January is recognized as Cancer Awareness Month, during which the WHO emphasizes the preventability and curability of this disease.
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