Cervical Cancer

India was on Tuesday felicitated by the World Health Organisation for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, making it the third country in the region after Nepal and Myanmar to achieve this feat. The WHO also felicitated Bhutan for achieving interim targets for cervical cancer elimination, Maldives and Sri Lanka for Hepatitis B control in children, Timor-Leste for eliminating lymphatic filariasis and six countries for achieving SDG and global targets for reducing under-five mortality and stillbirth rates. "India's success is due to the strong leadership of its government and the commitment of ophthalmologists and other cadres of health-care workers. "They worked together with partners to ensure effective surveillance, diagnosis and management of active trachoma, provision of surgical services for trichiasis, and promotion of water, sanitation and hygiene, particularly facial cleanliness, among communities," said Saima Wazed, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia, a

Quad countries will work together with United Nations agencies on bulk purchasing of HPV diagnostics to bring down the cost of cervical cancer screening

City-based DNA Wellness on Thursday said it will invest Rs 200 crore to set up over 100 cervical cancer screening labs across India by 2027. The company has acquired exclusive rights to conduct the DNA Ploidy Test, a diagnostic tool developed by the British Columbia Cancer Research Agency, Canada, the company said in a statement. The test, also known as CERViSure, is a quick, accurate, and non-invasive method to detect cervical cancer. DNA Wellness also announced the launch India's first CERViSure laboratory in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which will provide easy access to cervical cancer screening facility to people. "Going forward, DNA wellness will invest Rs 200 crore to set up some 100 dedicated CERViSure laboratories across India, in a phased manner by 2027, to help the DNA Ploidy reach a maximum number of patients," the company said. "By October 2024, the company will open dedicatedlaboratories in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat," Pathik Bhandari, Co-founder, DNA Wellness, ...

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According to Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) data, an estimated 663,301 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide in 2022, of which 348,874 women died from the disease

Vladimir Putin did not specify the details of the vaccine but said it could be available to patients soon. According to the WHO, nearly 10 million people die from the disease annually

Cervical cancer is at the centrestage of public health concern with the government's push for vaccinations in the Union interim budget, a move that is a potential game changer for the disease that kills more than 77,000 women in India each year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week said in her speech that the government will encourage vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which leads to cervical cancer, among girls aged 9-14. A day later, model-actor Poonam Pandey grabbed social media attention - and some headlines -- with claims she had died of the disease. It was a hoax, a stunt purportedly attributed to raising awareness about cervical cancer. The fake claim raised some buzz about cervical cancer. But it is the government's proactive stance to promote vaccinations that will raise awareness, foster early immunisation practices and marks a significant step towards preventing unnecessary fatalities, said scientists. The battle is complex and tough, they ...

An eminent Indian-American radiation oncologist on Wednesday applauded India's budget announcement for vaccination of girls between nine and 14 against cervical cancer. "The budget's emphasis on preventive programs for cervical cancer is a commendable step towards addressing a critical public health issue in India. The initiative to vaccinate girls aged 9-14 against cervical cancer is particularly praiseworthy, as this disease claims the lives of over 150 women daily in the country," Dr Dattatreyudu Nori told PTI. A recipient of Padma Shri in 2015 for his contributions in the field of medicine, Dr Nori said cervical cancer ranks as the second most common cancer among women in India, with more than 85,000 new cases diagnosed annually and approximately 50,000 deaths reported each year. The incidence of cancer cases is projected to rise from 1.46 million in 2022 to 1.57 million in 2025. This increase is attributed to advancements in cancer diagnostics, improved data capture, and ongoin

Poonam Pandey on Saturday made an appearance on social media and said she is "alive", a day after there were reports that the actor had died of cervical cancer. "I feel compelled to share something significant with you all - I am here, alive. Cervical Cancer didn't claim me, but tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease," the 32-year-old actor posted on Instagram alongside a video. Pandey said she wants to spread "critical awareness" about the disease and ensure every woman is informed about the steps to take. "Together, let's strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring #DeathToCervicalCancer," she wrote. On Friday, the actor's team made the shock announcement that Pandey passed away after a battle with cervical cancer but there was no confirmation of the death of the model, influencer and sometime actor known for her bold statements and appearances.

In 2022, India had more than 14.1 lakh new cancer cases and over 9.1 lakh deaths due to the disease, and breast cancer was the most common, according to the latest estimates of the disease's global burden by the World Health Organization (WHO). Cancers of lip, oral cavity and lung were the most common ones in men, accounting for 15.6 and 8.5 per cent of the new cases, respectively, whereas, cancers of breast and cervix uteri were the most frequent ones in women, making up close to 27 and 18 per cent of the new cases, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO's cancer agency has estimated. It also calculated that the number of people alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis was nearly 32.6 lakhs in India. Globally, the agency estimated 2 crore new cancer cases and 97 lakh deaths, and about 5.3 crore people were alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis. About 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime, and roughly 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women di

Actor and model Poonam Pandey passed away on Friday at the age of 32 due to cervical cancer, according to her media manager

Push to include cervical cancer vaccination in Universal Immunisation Programme and set up more medical colleges

As per 2022 estimates, every year, approximately 125,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease

Experts anticipate indigenous vaccine to help curb cases, health ministry yet to take a decision on roll-out

The government is likely to begin administering anti-cervical cancer vaccine in girls aged nine to 14 years in six states in June, official sources said on Sunday. In the first phase of the vaccination campaign, 2.55 crore girls are targeted to be administered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, an official source told PTI. The Union Health Ministry has drawn a roadmap to roll out HPV vaccine in the universal immunisation programme and is likely to float a global tender in April for 16.02 crore doses to be procured by 2026, official sources said. The Serum Institute's made-in-India vaccine against cervical cancer, CERVAVAC, was launched last month. Prakash Kumar Singh, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII), has written a letter to the Health Ministry its first indigenous HPV vaccine will be available in the private market at an MRP of Rs 2,000 per dose, i

A day after the first indigenously developed Human Papillomavirus vaccine against cervical cancer was launched, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday said the vaccine will be available in small quantity this year and its production will be boosted next year to take care of the needs of the nation. Speaking on the sidelines of an event after presenting the vaccine to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Poonawalla said the vaccine 'CERVAVAC' will be made available through the government programme this year. The vaccine for 9-14-year-old was launched on Tuesday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Poonawalla, and Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh. It will be available at a much lower price than the internationally branded vaccines available in the market, Singh had said earlier. The vaccine will be included in the National Immunisation Programme by mid-2023, government officials had said.

Lancet report titled, "Global estimates of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in 2020: a baseline analysis of the WHO Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative," highlights glaring reality

India would be in a position to roll out the indigenously developed Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) against cervical cancer for girls in the age group of 914 under the National Immunisation Programme by mid-2023, NTAGI chairperson Dr N K Arora said. The CERVAVAC vaccine is likely to be launched by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in April next year and will be available at a much lower price than the international vaccines available in the market, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at the SII said on the sidelines of the South Asia meeting on HPV here. The vaccine has received the DCGI's approval and been cleared by the government advisory panel National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) for use in the public health programme, Dr Arora told PTI. At present, the country is fully dependent on foreign manufacturers for the vaccine. Three foreign companies manufacture the HPV vaccine out of which two firms sell their vaccines in India. .

Dr Singh said that WHO has called for action in several key areas to achieve the elimination target of four or less cases per 100,000 women