Eliminating cervical cancer globally is within reach if governments act | Ian Frazer

We have the unique opportunity to wipe out a cancer that kills 250,000 women worldwide each year

Cervical cancer is cause by infection with papillomavirus. To our knowledge, every case of cervical cancer is initiated by infection with one of about a dozen closely related types of this virus. The same virus types also include one that seems to be responsible for some other genital cancers, and some throat cancer. The good news is that we have effective vaccines to prevent infection with these viruses: there are now three vaccines that have been shown effective - they all prevent the two strains of papillomavirus most commonly responsible for cancer, and one provides protection against another five types that more rarely cause cancer, as well as protection against genital warts.

Australia has been fortunate to have had a government sponsored school based cervical cancer vaccine program since 2007, and studies in Australia have shown that this program has virtually eliminated new infections with the viruses responsible for cervical cancer for girls and boys who were immunised as young teenagers.