The Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Forum took place in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia from March 5-7, 2024.

Key Points

The first ever global forum towards combating cervical cancer saw donors pledging nearly $600 million in funding.
The funding includes $400 million from the World Bank over three years, $180 million from American Charitable organisation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and $10 million from United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.
The funds will be utilised to enhance global access to vaccination, screening and treatment for cervical cancer.
The Forum aims to mobilise governments, donors, civil society, and various stakeholders to pledge their commitment to the elimination of cervical cancer and energise the global community.

International Commitments to Cervical Cancer Elimination

At the forum, several countries made commitments to combating cervical cancer, including a re-commitment by Indonesia to its National Action Plan 2023.
The Democratic Republic of Congo commits to introducing the single-dose HPV vaccine for girls 9 to 14, aiming for cervical cancer elimination.
Ethiopia pledged a robust vaccine delivery strategy with 95 per cent coverage for 14-year-old girls in 2024, alongside annual screening and treatment for cervical cancer
Nigeria launched its HPV vaccine programme, adopting a single-dose schedule, aiming for at least 80 per cent coverage through targeted strategies for both in-school and out-of-school girls by 2026.
In 2022, the WHO sanctioned the transition of countries from a two or three-dose vaccination approach against HPV to a one-dose strategy to broaden the protection for more girls. This significantly reduced barriers to scaling up vaccination programmes globally.

WHO’s Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination was launched on 17 November 2020
It lays out a clear path to eliminating the disease through vaccination, screening, and treatment.
The strategy sets out 3 clear targets to meet by 2030 to put countries on the path to elimination:
90% of girls vaccinated against HPV by age 15
70% of women screened with a high-performance test by age 35 and again at 45
90% of women with cervical disease receive treatment
This forum aims to be a pivotal moment and a historic first step in securing government commitments to eliminate, for the first time, a full category of cancer on a global scale.

Cervical cancer is a cancer that starts in the cervix, which is the lower end of the uterus that connects it to the vagina.
It is the 4^th most common type of cancer among women, globally and 2^nd most common among women in India.
It’s caused by a long-lasting (human papillomavirus) HPV infection, which is a common virus transmitted through sexual contact.
Despite available tools for prevention and elimination, it claims a woman’s life every 2 minutes globally, with over 90% of cervical cancer deaths in 2022 occurring in low- and middle-income nations.
When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively.

Types of HPV Vaccines available are Quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil): It protects against four types of HPV (HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11). Bivalent vaccine (Cervarix): It protects against HPV 16 and 18 only and Non-valent vaccine (Gardasil 9): It protects against nine strains of HPV.
The quadrivalent vaccines, including the Serum Institute of India’s Cervavac, prevent the entry of four of the most common types of HPV 16, 18, 6 and 11 thereby preventing infections, genital warts, and eventually cancer.
The indigenously developed, cheaper Cervavac will be used in the government campaign.
At least 14 HPV types have been identified to have the potential to cause cancer. Among these, HPV types 16 and 18 are considered to be the most oncogenic, causing about 70 per cent of all cervical cancer cases globally.
The vaccine has to be administered in adolescent girls before they are sexually active. This is because the vaccine can only prevent the entry of the virus.

Cervical cancer remains a significant health concern in India
India accounts for about a fifthof the global burden for cervical cancer, recording about 25 lakh cases and about 75,000 deaths each year.
Nearly 1 in every 4 deathsglobally due to cervical cancer.
The incidence is often linked to low awareness, limited screening programs, and inadequate access to healthcare.
Last month, the government announced it would include the vaccine in the country’s immunisation programme, meaning it will be distributed for free to girls between nine and 14.

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