The Role of Commonwealth Youth in the Fight Against Cervical Cancer

Event date: 26 January 2023, 17:00 - 18:00

The Commonwealth Youth Health Network (CYHN) is hosting a webinar on Twitter Spaces on Thursday 26th January 2023 to examine the role young people can play in the fight to eliminate cervical cancer across the Commonwealth.

A panel of experts and youth representatives will discuss the current landscape of cervical cancer in the 56 member countries, existing prevention strategies and myths and misconceptions surrounding the disease. They will also look at the role young people can play in helping to advance elimination strategies in line with the Commonwealth’s goal of stopping the disease by 2030 and raising awareness of the condition.

Although cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer, significant obstacles to achieving elimination - like access to HPV vaccination (the vaccine that tackles Human papillomavirus, the cause of most cervical cancers), early screening and treatment options have continued to persist. COVID-19 has added to the pressure on already health systems which has further impacted cervical cancer services.

The webinar will see discussion from members of the Commonwealth Youth Health Network, together with Alliance for Active Action Against HPV (A4HPV) - a taskforce hosted under the auspices of the Commonwealth Youth Health Network. The A4HPV group advocates for increased youth awareness about HPV and its related cancers, effective strategies against HPV and for equitable and affordable vaccination access across the Commonwealth.

The panellists include Dr Janneth Mghamba, Heath Advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat; Dr Miriam Mutebi, Chair of Commonwealth International Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination; Lucy Fagan, Chair of CYHN and Cindy Chng, Founder of A4HPV among others.

To join follow CYHN on Twitter here. Click here to set a reminder of the event.