Since 2019, Taiwan has promoted public-funded human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for girls enrolled in junior high schools. By 2022, the vaccination rate has reached 92%, far exceeding the global average. New Taipei City even achieved a high vaccination rate of 92.91% last year. (Schematic diagram / newspaper information photo)
Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women, causing at least 340,000 deaths worldwide every year, and it is also one of the top ten common causes of cancer death among women in my country. In order to prevent and control cervical cancer, my country has promoted the vaccination of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines at public expense for girls enrolled in junior high schools since 2019. By 2022, the vaccination rate has reached 92%, far exceeding the global average, and even surpassing neighboring developed countries including Japan, In South Korea and Australia, New Taipei City even achieved a high vaccination rate of 92.91% last year.
In view of the fact that more than 90% of cervical cancer is related to human papillomavirus, the World Health Organization proposed a 90/70/90 goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, including 90% of girls receiving HPV vaccine at the age of 15, 70% of women Accept high-efficiency cervical cancer screening before the age of 35, and 90% of women diagnosed with cervical cancer can receive treatment and care.
Our country is actively implementing it in all aspects. Among them, through the policy of HPV vaccination at public expense on campus, the vaccination rate of girls enrolled in junior high schools nationwide will reach 92.0% in 2022, exceeding the target value proposed by the WHO. And New Taipei City was the first county and city in my country to promote large-scale HPV vaccination, many years ahead of the national policy. Since the promotion in 2010, the annual number of HPV vaccinations has been the highest in the country, and more than 210,000 people have benefited so far.
In addition to vaccination and active prevention, regular screening is also an important part of prevention and control. Evidence shows that mass Pap smear screening can reduce the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer by 60-90%. my country has provided free Pap smear screening services for women over 30 years old since 1995, and the cumulative screening rate has reached 82.7% over the past 25 years.
The screening rate in New Taipei City is higher than the national average regardless of the annual smear test or the smear test every three years. In addition to HPV vaccination, New Taipei City is also the first to become a national subsidy for women under the age of 30 or who do not have health insurance qualifications , Counties and cities where Pap smears are free.
Under active prevention and screening, the incidence of cervical cancer in my country has been decreasing year by year. The national incidence rate has dropped from 10.81 per 100,000 population in 2010 to 7.78 per 100,000 population in 2020; 4.41 per 10,000 population, down to 2.8 per 100,000 population in 2021. As far as New Taipei City is concerned, the death rate is generally lower than that of the whole country, and the prevention and control performance is excellent.
The population of New Taipei City ranks first in the country, coupled with the large size of the city, it is more difficult to promote and implement policies than other counties and cities. However, it has achieved a leading performance in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. Chen Runqiu, Director of Health of New Taipei City shared that in addition to leading In addition to the planned HPV public-funded vaccination policy; in terms of smear inspection, New Taipei City actively uses convenient patrol cars to provide point-to-point community screening services, and actively guides hospitals in the jurisdiction to set up rapid customs clearance services for pap smears, linking relevant resources in the hospital, building Actively improve the effectiveness of prevention by setting up an active reminder system in outpatient clinics; and in the past two years, also promote the academic research of HPV screening in production, government and academia, with a view to benefiting women in New Taipei and serving as a reference for future policies. Director Chen explained that to stay away from the threat of cervical cancer, active prevention and regular screening are the only ways to do so. He called on all the people to support and encourage women to actively screen, prevent and protect their health together.