Why cervical cancer should be declared a national disaster

Human papillomavirus vaccine - administration of antigenic material (vaccine) to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen. [Getty Images]

Cervical cancer is a malignant neoplasm of the cervix and one of the severe threats to women's health. While it is completely asymptomatic in the early stages, it presents a severe challenge to women in the advanced stages of the disease. Common symptoms include unexplained weight loss, pain after sexual intercourse, chronic pelvic pain, and bleeding between periods and after sexual intercourse.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cervical cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer globally among women, with 60,4127 new cases and 341,831 deaths recorded in 2020. About 90 per cent of the new cases and deaths worldwide in 2020 occurred in low-and middle-income countries.