As South Africa (SA) observes Women’s Month, health advocates and civil society organisations are calling for accelerated action to eliminate cervical cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among SA women aged 15 to 44.

Claiming nearly 6 000 lives in SA each year, cervical cancer is more than 95% preventable through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and routine screening. Health experts stress that the disease represents a significant structural health barrier affecting women’s lives, dignity, and economic participation.

Speaking on the urgency of the crisis, Cancer Alliance Director Salomé Meyer warned that immediate action is critical.

“Women’s Month is not only a time to celebrate women, it is a time to protect their health and their future. No woman should lose her life to a disease that is both preventable and treatable,” Meyer said, noting that one woman dies from cervical cancer every 67 minutes in SA.

The burden falls disproportionately on women living with HIV, who are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of women globally living with both conditions, highlighting the need to integrate cervical cancer screening directly into existing HIV care pathways.

Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi previously framed cervical cancer elimination as “a matter of social justice and gender equality,” reaffirming SA’s commitment to the World Health Organisation’s 90-70-90 targets for vaccination, screening, and treatment. While the Department of Health has expanded its school-based HPV vaccination campaign to private schools and adopted single-dose guidelines, advocates stress that equitable implementation remains the key challenge.

Civil society groups are urging a multisectoral strategy that includes adopting higher-valency HPV vaccines, expanding community-based HPV DNA testing and self-sampling, and securing private sector investment for healthcare worker training and patient navigation.

–ChannelAfrica–