♦ One woman worldwide dies every two minutes due to cervical cancer — a treatable and preventable disease – said the UN on 17 November 2025 on the first official World Cervical Cancer Elimination Day.

♦ November 17 was designated by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78.8) to raise awareness of the disease, and to expand access to HPV vaccination, high-performance screening, and treatment services.

♦ According to the WHO, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with around 660,000 new cases and around 350,000 deaths in 2022.

♦ Notably, nine in 10 of these deaths occur in the poorest countries, with inadequate access to vaccination, screening, and treatment.

♦ Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Women living with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer compared to women without HIV.