This March 26th is World Cervical Cancer Prevention Day. A date that cannot go unnoticed, because we are talking about a silent disease that claims the lives of 300,000 women every year.

But this number should be zero, taking into account that cervical cancer is 100% preventable. So, you may ask, why women continue to die if this disease can be prevented?

Despite the great efforts made worldwide to eradicate this type of cancer, the high level of contagion by the Human Papillomavirus that causes this disease and the lack of a culture of prevention through regular medical check-ups are responsible for these statistics.

Unfortunately, 80 percent of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. This reality demands greater action from us, not only from the authorities of each country, but also from ourselves. We must be clear that the best way to prevent cervical cancer is vaccination against the Human Papillomavirus, which is present in more than 80% of the population.

Fortunately, in Costa Rica there are already great advances in this area and since 2019, 10-year-old girls receive two doses of the vaccine against this virus. In addition, from the Costa Rican Agency for Biomedical Research, we have made great efforts to continue fighting cervical cancer.

This is how we have already vaccinated 20 thousand young women and adolescents against the Human Papillomavirus, as part of the “ESCUDDO” study, with which we are looking to demonstrate the effectiveness of a single dose of the vaccine. This is a female population that is already protected and that, due to its age range, is not contemplated within the vaccination carried out by our health authorities.

Through biomedical research we continue to have a positive impact on public health in our country and around the world. Therefore, Costa Rica, let us continue the fight against cervical cancer. We are on the right path, but there is still more to do; our women will thank us. Let us fight to achieve a generation free of cervical cancer.