Australia ‘On Track’ to Become the 1st Country to Wipe out Cervical Cancer

Australia has set the ambitious goal of becoming the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer by 2028, seven years ahead of schedule, its Labor government has announced. The strategy involves an intensified rollout of the vaccine for human papillomavirus, or HPV, and cervical screening rates. Medical professionals regard HPV as a sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts, cellular changes, and cancer. Believed to be a significant precursor to cervical cancer, they advocate the HPV vaccine as pivotal in preventing the disease. That said, HPV infections are a prevalent occurrence in women, with most women acquiring it at some point during their lifetime, according to Columbia University’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center....