The Cancer Institute NSW campaign, being supported by Deniliquin’s Local Health Advisory Committee, aims to help reach the global goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2035.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, with more than 70 per cent of cases occurring in people who have never been screened or are not up-to-date with their cervical screening,
A cervical screening test every five years is the best way to prevent cervical cancer.
It’s recommended for eligible people aged 25 to 74 who have ever been sexually active and is available at a range of locations, including medical centres, community health centres or sexual health clinics.
A quick and simple procedure, the test looks for a common infection called human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes almost all cervical cancers.
There are now two, equally effective options for doing the test, one is to have a healthcare provider collect a sample, the other is for people to collect their own sample, in private, at a medical centre.
More people are now choosing the self-collection option, with uptake increasing from 8.7 per cent of tests in the July to September 2022 quarter to almost 30 per cent in the quarter to June 2024.
For more information on cervical screening, visit www.cancer.nsw.gov.au/prevention-and-screening/screening-and-early-detection/cervical-screening.
