WHO announces: The cause is HPV

In a statement made as part of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the WHO stated, “More than 95 percent of cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Prophylactic vaccination against HPV and screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions are effective ways to prevent cervical cancer and are very cost-effective.”

“The 4th most common type of cancer among women worldwide”

Regarding the action they launched called the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, the WHO said, “Cervical cancer is preventable and treatable as long as it is detected early and treated effectively. However, the disease, which claimed the lives of more than 300 thousand women in 2018, is the 4th most common type of cancer among women worldwide.

Very few diseases reflect global inequalities as much as cervical cancer. Almost 90 percent of deaths in 2018 occurred in low- and middle-income countries. An ambitious, coordinated, and inclusive strategy has been developed to guide the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.

In May 2018, the WHO issued a global call to action. In August 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer. To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must keep the incidence rate below 4 per 100 thousand women and maintain this rate. There are three key targets to achieve this goal. These targets are vaccination, screening, and treatment.”

Three key targets: Vaccination, Screening, Treatment

In this context, regarding the actions taken, the WHO stated that as of 2020, 90 percent of young girls are vaccinated by the age of 15, 70 percent of women are screened with high-performance tests by the age of 45, and 90 percent of women receiving treatment have completed their treatment. Regarding the 90-70-90 concept, which emerged as a result of the vaccination, screening, and treatment actions it expressed as three key targets, the WHO said, “To be on the path to eliminating cervical cancer in the next century, every country needs to reach the 90-70-90 targets by 2030.”

Emphasizing the importance of the vaccine against the HPV virus, the WHO also pointed out that the vaccine has different doses for all age groups. Underlining that the most important age group that should be vaccinated is young girls between the ages of 9-14, it was stated, “As of 2023, there are 6 HPV vaccines available worldwide. All of them provide protection against high-risk HPV types 16 and 18, which cause most cervical cancers and have been shown to be safe and effective in preventing HPV infection and cervical cancer. For individuals known to have a weakened immune system or to be infected with HIV (AIDS), a minimum of 2 doses and 3 doses when appropriate are required.” In a statement made in 2022, it was stated that HPV, which is seen in 70 percent of cervical cancer cases, reached 95 percent as of 2023.

“We are on the path to eliminating cervical cancer”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus drew attention to the importance of the vaccine to avoid contracting cervical cancer. Ghebreyesus said, “We are on the path to eliminating cervical cancer, a disease that is largely preventable through vaccination against the HPV virus and early and effective screening and treatment of the disease. Success requires all partners to work together to eliminate the inequalities that prevent women and girls in all countries from accessing these life-saving tools. This Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the WHO calls for the continuous expansion of vaccination, screening, and treatment, and reaffirms its commitment to a world free of this preventable disease through the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative.

I congratulate Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, and other countries that introduced the HPV vaccine in 2023, and we are ready to support more in 2024 to accelerate progress on this critical agenda.”