January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Cervical cancer is largely preventable — yet it still affects 660,000 women and causes 350,000 deaths every year worldwide. Most of these deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries due to limited access to vaccines, screening and treatment. 

The cause? HPV, a very common virus. The good news: HPV vaccination and regular screening can stop cervical cancer before it starts. 

Women living with HIV are 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer — making early care even more critical.

WHO calls on countries to reach the 90–70–90 targets by 2030:

✅ 90% of girls vaccinated by age 15
✅ 70% of women screened by ages 35 and 45
✅ 90% treated if precancer or cancer is found

What you can do:

💉 Vaccinate girls aged 9–14
🩺 Get screened regularly (even if vaccinated!)
🚭 Avoid smoking

Learn more about cervical cancer on  https://bit.ly/4bp0lHK