Cervical cancer is a significant health issue worldwide and in the Americas, even though it is preventable, and curable if detected early and adequately treated. Its main cause is the human papillomavirus (HPV). In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. This strategy focuses on three key actions: vaccinating against HPV, screening with high-performance tests, and treating precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.
With the vision of a world where cervical cancer is eliminated as a public health problem, the strategy proposes:
- an incidence rate threshold of 4 new cases per 100,000 women-years for elimination as a public health problem; and
- the following 90-70-90 targets that must be met by 2030 for countries to be on the path towards cervical cancer elimination:
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Cervical Cancer Dashboard aims to monitor progress towards the WHO elimination targets to be met by Member States by 2030: vaccinating 90% of girls by age 15, 70% screening women with high-performance tests by age 35 and again by age 45, and treating 90% of precancerous and cancerous cases.