Governments, donors, and partners around the world have pledged nearly US$600 million in new funding towards the elimination of cervical cancer. This announcement was made at the groundbreaking Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Forum in Colombia, where major commitments were made to tackle this deadly disease.
Cervical cancer is currently the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with a significant impact on low and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization’s recent recommendation for a one-dose HPV vaccine schedule has helped to reduce barriers to scaling up vaccination programs in many countries.
Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Nigeria have committed to implementing robust vaccine delivery strategies and increasing vaccination coverage, in an effort to combat the disease. The new funding includes contributions from key organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
However, there are challenges to overcome in the fight against cervical cancer, including supply constraints, delivery challenges, and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The commitments made at the forum aim to reverse the increasing trend of annual deaths from cervical cancer and prevent it from reaching an estimated 410,000 deaths by 2030.
The forum, co-sponsored by the Governments of Colombia and Spain, along with organizations like PAHO, the WHO, and UNICEF, has brought together representatives from various organizations to exchange experiences and knowledge. The goal is to eliminate barriers to care and increase access to vaccination against HPV, ultimately working towards the complete eradication of cervical cancer worldwide.