Cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and cured if diagnosed early. Yet it still kills more than 300,000 women worldwide each year.

Globally, only around 21% of women have had a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes the disease.

In 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set targets to vaccinate 90% of girls, screen 70% of women, and treat 90% of cervical diseases, aiming to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 604,000 new cases and more than 300,000 deaths in 2020.

The countries with the highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are low- and middle-income countries.

This is the second most common form of cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age in Namibia.

Erongo Region's Health Director, Anna Jonas, says that more than 95% of cases are caused by HPV, which is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.

HPV is transmitted from person to person mainly through close skin-to-skin contact and through sexual intercourse.

She further says that women living with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer compared to women without HIV.

Cervical cancer can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly.

Jonas urges all women of childbearing age to get screened for cervical cancer at their nearest health facilities within the region.