M’sia falls below WHO rate in cervical screening

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has only managed to achieve a rate of 12.9 per cent in terms of cervical screening, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

She said the rate fell far below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target of 70 per cent, hence the challenge to get women to come forward to be screened.

“The lifetime risk of a Malaysian woman to develop cervical cancer is 1 in 116. Only 24 per cent of Malaysian women were diagnosed at the early stage (Stage 1), while 76 per cent were diagnosed at later stages (Stage 2, 3 & 4).

“Early prevention is the answer to stop this disease in its tracks,” she said when launching the ‘Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening (R.O.S.E)’ Programme here, yesterday.

According to Dr Wan Azizah, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer (7.7 per cent) among women in Malaysia, after breast cancer (32.1 per cent) and colorectal cancer (10.7 per cent).

She said the screening of cervical cancer through the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) DNA test conducted under the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) would benefit 14,000 women from the low income (B40) households this year.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said the HPV DNA test is recommended for women over 30 years old as it can detect the presence of high risk HPV DNA. - Bernama