Australia on Track to Eliminate Cervical Cancer by 2035, but Vaccination and Screening Rates Decline

Australia is poised to be the first nation to eradicate cervical cancer by 2035, but concerns arise from a decline in immunization and screening rates, as highlighted in the 2025 Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress Report. Notably, 2021 marked the first year since 1982 with no new cervical cancer cases among women under 25. The pioneering national HPV immunization program began in 2007 and extended to boys in 2013, while HPV testing replaced Pap smears in 2017. However, vaccine coverage for 15-year-olds fell to 79.5% in 2024, down 6.2% from 2020, and screening rates decreased from 76.5% in 2022 to 74.2% in 2024. Indigenous women and those in remote areas experience significantly higher rates, with Indigenous women facing three times the cervical cancer incidence. Rebecca White, assistant minister for health, stressed the importance of sustaining progress. Julia Brotherton from the University of Melbourne linked the declines to factors such as reduced school attendance and COVID-19 impacts, while Karen Canfell from the University of Sydney highlighted Australia’s exemplary status for the WHO. Dorothy Machalek from the University of New South Wales called for improved data collection to tackle these disparities.