GLOBAL trends show that the elimination of cervical cancer in the Pacific is a realistic and attainable goal, regional health authorities have said.
Speaking as part of a panel at the Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa Research Symposium co-director Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga pointed to results from the UK and Australia as an example of what could be achieved.
“The evidence is now very clear. In countries where HPV vaccination is high and screening is strong, cervical cancer is disappearing in younger women. The Pacific can also do this Tukuitonga asserted, it is just a question of how quickly.
In England, Women who receive the vaccination as adolescents have a much lower chance of getting cervical cancer.
This is borne out by the numbers, between 2020 and 2024, no women aged 20-24 died from cervical cancer – a one hundred per cent mortality reduction. Australia that started vaccinations earlier, has had no cases in women under 25, and is on track to totally eliminate the problem.
The Pacific is certainly not resting on its laurels and the uptake has been encouraging particularly at the grass-root level. Director and founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine Professor Bev Lawton said numbers are strong, with 79-82 per cent of women opting for HPV self-testing. This is having other positive flow-on benefits with older women encouraging younger ones to take the proactive step towards protecting their own health
This is all leading to a momentum shift towards a Pacific-led initiative coordinated by Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, supported by a $NZD5.1 million Matariki Fund investment.
The hope is that with this funding, HPV vaccination will scale to at least 90 percent coverage, Cervical self-testing to 70 percent of eligible women, and diagnostic and treatment pathways will be timelier.
In line with WHO targets, the initiative will begin in the Cook Islands and Niue before expanding across the region.
