Experts call for greater access to vaccine against cervical-cancer virus
WHO agency estimates 570,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2018, making this the fourth-most common malignant tumour in women globally
London — A vaccine given to girls to protect them against a virus that causes cervical cancer is a “critical” health tool and access to it should be scaled up as soon as possible, especially in poorer countries, say cancer experts. Figures from the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) showed an estimated 570,000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed worldwide in 2018, making it the fourth-most common cancer in women globally. Every year, more than 310,000 women die of cervical cancer, the vast majority in poorer countries with low rates of immunisation rates against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes it. In wealthy countries, some antivaccine campaigners are also persuading parents to refuse the shot for their children, leaving them at risk, IARC said. “Unfounded rumours about HPV vaccines continue to unnecessarily delay or impede the scaling up of vaccination,” said IARC director Elisabete Weiderpass. She said IARC was committ...
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