Protecting women in Solomon Islands from cervical cancer

Laura Teika is a young woman with big dreams. The 15-year-old Solomon Islander plans to study hard so she can go to university to become a meteorologist.

In the meantime, she explains, there are many barriers for girls her age to reach their goals. “Young people face a lot of peer pressure. There are problems with drugs and with teenagers getting pregnant,” she says.

In Solomon Islands, another threat to the futures of women like Laura is cervical cancer. Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women. While the disease is the fourth most frequent cancer in women in the world, it is even more in Solomon Islands. However, cervical cancer screening is limited, only about 4% of women have received a Pap test and low laboratory capacity means that the tests must be sent overseas for analysis. Options for treatment and management of cervical cancer are similarly slim.

That’s why Solomon Islands, with support from WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, PATH, the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation and Rotary International, is focusing on prevention of cervical cancer using the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect girls aged 9-14 years old against the disease.

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