Ghanaian women have been urged to take screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection seriously as cases of cervical cancer (CC) continue to soar in the country.
HPV is a common viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) with high-risk types being the primary cause of cervical cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in women globally.
In Ghana, latest estimates from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicates that 3,072 women were diagnosed of the condition in 2022 with 1,815 succumbing to it.
Dr Efua Commeh, the Programme Manager for Non-communicable Disease (NCD) at the GHS, speaking to the Ghanaian Times yesterday as part of this year's "CC Awareness Month", said despite advocacy on the disease over the years, only three per cent of Ghana's female population have ever screened for CC. "We are losing over 50 per cent of our women diagnosed of cervical cancer largely due to late reporting.
