Antigua and Barbuda announces free HPV testing for women between ages of 30-49

Antigua and Barbuda: The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment of Antigua and Barbuda has been 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.

People also came to mind that the Ministry of Health also launched an 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 of 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 a 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.

Breast Cancer is known as a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control (CDC, 2022). Each year countless women and men fight the fight of their lives to defeat this disease. About 684,996 individuals die from Breast Cancer globally (WHO, 2021). There is a very good chance of recovery once it is detected in the early stages, but we must be aware of what to look out for.

Today, the Public Health Inspectors & Environmental Health Aides at CBH had a very informative talk with Dr. Lori-Ann Johnson. Dr. Johnson was more than happy to share her knowledge and answer all of the questions.