Cork Views: Our mission to eliminate cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease, with screening playing a key role in its early detection.

In 2008, cervical screening was introduced across the country, offering free examinations for women aged 25 to 60,which was later extended to 65 with the introduction of HPV cervical screening in 2020.

In between this time, Ireland has come a long way in combatting this disease.

Despite this, research from the Irish Cancer Society shows that approximately 250 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year in Ireland.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) set forth a proposal to help eradicate the presence of cervical cancer across the world. For Ireland’s case, this means fewer than four cases per 100,000 women.

Ireland has been one of the first countries to commit to this initiative and is one step closer to making cervical cancer rare in every community across Ireland.

Currently, we are on track to be one of the first countries in the world to eliminate cervical cancer.

During Stephen Donnelly’s time as the Minister for Health, he made it a leading aspiration to follow the WHO initiative to eliminate the prevalence of cervical cancer in our Irish communities.

It is a challenging target to reach, yet the Action Plan clearly outlines a path that will guide us in prevention and early detection over the next five years.

To achieve this goal, the government has onboarded initiatives aiming to have 90% of girls vaccinated against HPV by the age of 15, 70% of women screened by age 35, and to have 90% of people with cervical cancer treated.

While these targets may seem ambitious, it is through the rollout of these vaccinations that cervical cancer in Ireland can become a thing of the past.

With that, Ireland is currently exceeding the 90% target for the treatment of cervical cancer.

This Action Plan, led by a partnership between the HSE project team and Cervical Cancer Elimination will focus on factors including encouraging HPV vaccinations in schools, HPV screening, and pre-cancer and cancer treatment.

HPV vaccination is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of cervical cancer, particularly for those who received the vaccine in their early teens.

By 2040, we plan to eliminate cervical cancer through nine strategic actions and 39 sub-actions. It is through mediums such as creating a national public and healthcare professional survey, focus groups with underserved communities and staff, and workshops with key stakeholders that this strategy can be fought head-on.

With these tools, we can work towards monitoring and keeping the growth of cervical cancer under control.

Without a doubt, both women and the public will benefit from this action plan.

The HPV vaccine alone will indefinitely help to protect the future of young girls across Cork and the rest of Ireland.

Furthermore, hundreds of lives will be saved every year due to taking the extra precautions proposed.

There is unlimited support for those who are tirelessly working to implement this strategy, such as the nurses rolling out vaccine plans in schools and among the community.

Cervical cancer is nothing short of a grave challenge that requires our immediate attention. Despite making significant progress since agreeing to the initiative, many barriers still stand in the way of eliminating the disease in our society.

We need to make it our mission to meet the needs of women, particularly in line with the World Health Organisation’s initiatives and plans.

Despite the ongoing effort, there is a persistent presence of anxiety for many women across Ireland relating to what the procedure entails.

We must take responsibility to educate those who remain unsure and provide access to clear, accurate information to encourage women to attend the screening.

We must work towards creating an inclusive environment, ensuring we campaign towards eliminating cervical cancer.

Lynn Swinburne, a project manager with the National Screening Service’s Community Champions, identifies under-screened populations as a leading barrier to combatting and eliminating cervical cancer across the country.

The Community Champions consists of 40 health workers from diverse backgrounds, working across five sites to implement strategies such as offering education and support as well as reducing structural administrative barriers.

Eliminating cervical cancer is a priority to safeguard the future of women’s health in Ireland.

This proposal is a step in the right direction to do this, aiming to roll out vaccine initiatives in schools to target HPV from an early age.

It is through these measures that Ireland can be one of the first countries to eliminate this disease that destroys the lives of many women across Ireland.