The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment is seeking to improve its capacity to expand its community outreach to strengthen its cervical cancer prevention and control program by implementing the Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer elimination in Antigua and Barbuda.
It is with this in mind that the Ministry launched a HPV Testing Pilot program with the aim of testing 1500 women in Antigua and Barbuda between the ages of 30-49, over a period of six months. This program is a collaborative effort between the Ministry, Basic Health International (BHI) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Cervical Cancer although highly preventable with regular screenings and treatable when found early, is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with an estimated 570000 new cases in 2018 according to the World Health Organization.
In the Caribbean and Latin America every day six women die from cervical cancer. There is need to develop more systematic approaches to cancer screenings.
Persons interested in being screened and tested for HPV at no cost are encouraged to contact one of the participating clinics. These clinics are All Saints, Brownes Avenue, Clarehall, Grays Farm and Jennings.
Persons can also register by clinking the link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4E3yTjFhXm7bG3hGNAOvkxx3eA53j_4zeBpUi0IMLf9lFvA/viewform?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK5PgxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrver7VOkwFG_-Oh7t81lWzukYZzHnufqHFDd6fnxqNNnddnxBCtdeOf2PVD_aem_PIr7qvRiLjfjuSBBQXr3Mw
