Global Eradication of Cervical Cancer Led by Australian Scientists
Image source, University of Sydney
After a long struggle, Chrissy Walters gave birth to her first child and was then told six months later that her daughter might grow up without her mother.
Living two hours from Brisbane, she once suffered a severe hemorrhage. Following hospital visits and biopsies, it was confirmed that 39-year-old Chrissy was diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer.
“I told my husband Neil… there must have been something wrong with the test results,” Walters recalls.
She has now been undergoing treatment for over a decade. The cancer has spread to other parts of her body and doctors have declared it terminal.
“I wouldn’t wish this pain on even my worst enemy,” she says.
Her daughter is now 12 years old. The family began openly discussing death three years ago.
Her daughter is at the age in Australia when children are vaccinated against HPV, which reduces the risk of cervical cancer—the very disease that ultimately threatens her mother’s life.
Australia is progressing towards eliminating this disease within a decade, aiming to become the first country in the world to eradicate any form of cancer.
Image source, Nathan Morris/Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Strategy
Many senior high school students in Australia queue patiently for a brief moment of discomfort as they receive HPV vaccinations.
Within moments, they have a plaster on their upper arm and head back to class.
The national vaccination program includes three vaccines, notably the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine.
While HPV can sometimes show no symptoms and may clear on its own, the high-risk viruses can cause cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer among women.
The optimistic fact is that this virus is preventable with vaccination.
Professor Karen Canfell, who leads global efforts on cervical cancer control, has witnessed this issue affecting not just Australia but the entire world.
In 2006, a new vaccine developed in a Queensland university laboratory brought new hope.
After years of research, Australian scientists developed Gardasil, a vaccine against HPV, which was approved by medical regulators.
Australia then became the first country in the world to include Gardasil in its national vaccination program.
This development showed global health experts the path to eradicating cervical cancer. Professor Canfell and the World Health Organization helped to establish the framework.
“Australia’s innovations have become a model for the World Health Organization,” Canfell states.
Image source, Getty Images
In 2013, the vaccination program expanded to include children, along with the introduction of advanced screening systems.
By 2017, Australia initiated an HPV-based screening test, more advanced than the traditional Pap smear, required once every five years.
Australia was also among the first countries to offer women self-sampling options, a revolutionary step especially for those fearful of pelvic exams or with limited access to healthcare.
Is Australia on the Right Track?
Practically, cancer eradication as a public health problem means reducing incidence to fewer than four cases per 100,000 people—not completely eliminating every single case.
A report indicates that Australia is on the path to eradicate cervical cancer by 2035, possibly even sooner.
Since 1982, the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Australia have been reduced by half.
Statistics from 2021 show that no new cervical cancer cases were reported among women under 25 years of age.
“Although eradication is not yet achieved in all age groups, the concept is steadily becoming a reality,” Canfell explains.
However, Canfell notes a slight decline in vaccination rates, especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where access to health services and health issues remain significant challenges.
Cervical cancer rates among Indigenous women are double those of other women, and their mortality risk is more than three times higher.
“They are often diagnosed with cancer at advanced stages,” says disease prevention expert Dr. Natalie Strobel.
At the current pace, cervical cancer eradication for Indigenous women may be delayed by 12 years compared to the national goal.
Strobel and Joslin Jones also warn that COVID-19-related vaccine hesitancy, increased healthcare costs, and missed vaccinations due to school closures could hinder the goal.
“Once vaccinations are missed, families are often responsible for making sure they are caught up,” Jones explains.
Many also remain unaware that vaccines are available free of charge.
Low- and middle-income countries face challenges adopting Australia’s model due to resource limitations.
Canfell and her team emphasize that long-term investment in cervical cancer eradication is highly cost-effective.
Saving lives and improving social outcomes allows women to remain productive and boost economic growth. All of these factors make the investment worthwhile, says Canfell.
Image source, Getty Images
Australia has also supported neighboring countries Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to take action against this cancer.
However, global aid cuts have severely impacted low-income countries.
In 2025, former US President Donald Trump announced the cessation of funding for Gavi, the vaccine alliance supporting developing countries.
“We benefit from healthcare access available in high-income countries,” Canfell acknowledges.
Global Impact
According to Walters, the ongoing battle with cervical cancer is a full-time job and extremely costly.
She has endured numerous medical appointments, the various side effects of cancer, constant fatigue of fighting on her own, and financial burdens.
Yet she remains hopeful that these hardships will soon become a thing of the past.
“The race to see which country can eliminate this cancer first has begun,” Canfell states.
Sweden and Rwanda have set goals to eliminate cervical cancer by 2027, intensifying efforts in vaccination and screening. The UK has also set a target for elimination by 2040, though challenges remain there as well.
Although HPV infection control has been exemplary, efforts against cervical cancer require a distinct and genuinely global collaboration, Canfell explains.
“This is the first time WHO and the global community have declared the intention to eliminate any form of cancer,” she says.
“It’s a truly new concept in the realm of cancer control.”
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