WHO launches new guide for cervical cancer prevention and control
Health agency says the disease can be beaten by vaccinating girls against HPV, putting spotlight on whether Hong Kong should begin doing so
New guidance from the World Health Organisation aims to help countries better control cervical cancer, one of the deadliest - yet most preventable - cancers.
The Pink Book, a comprehensive cervical cancer control guide, was launched today at the World Cancer Leaders' Summit in Melbourne, Australia.
The foundation of the recommendations is vaccinating girls aged nine to 13 years with the human papillomavirus vaccine to prevent infection with HPV, the virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.
Though girls in more than 55 countries are protected by routine administration of the HPV vaccine, it is not part of the public health vaccination programme in Hong Kong.
More than one million women worldwide are estimated to be living with cervical cancer. The disease is responsible for more than 270 000 deaths annually, 85 per cent of which occur in developing countries.
In Hong Kong, cervical cancer was the ninth most common cancer among females in 2011, with 391 new cases diagnosed. In 2012, 133 women died from this cancer, making it the ninth leading cause of female cancer deaths.