A total of 127 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in Brunei Darussalam between 2019 and 2023. This is between 23 to 32 persons a year, with a total death of 51 persons in the same period.
The growing concern of cervical cases in the Sultanate was highlighted by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar as the guest of honour at the launch of National Cervical Cancer Control and Preventive Measures Guidelines 2025 during a ceremony yesterday.
The minister said, “More than 99 per cent of cervical cancer is associated with human papillomavirus or HPV infection, which is a type of virus usually transmitted through sex.
The majority of HPV infection can recover spontaneously and do not cause any symptoms.
However continuous high-risk HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer.”
He emphasised, “HPV infection can be detected in the early stage through a screening test, which is a HPV test carried out by health professionals or women themselves through self-sampling. A woman diagnosed with HPV is always advised to attend further examination and evaluation by a doctor.”
The minister added, “HPV infection can be prevented in the early stage by vaccination against HPV. In Brunei Darussalam, the National HPV Vaccination Programme has been carried out since the beginning of 2012 among girl students aged between 13 and 17, recording high vaccination coverage of over 90 per cent for two doses of vaccine every year from 2019 to 2023.”
“Vaccination and screening programmes as well as early treatment for any pre-cancerous changes are strategies which is effective not only in preventing cervical cancer and increasing survival as well as cost-effective treatment to the government. These steps too are in line with the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) that is to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030,” said Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women around the world. In 2022, according to the WHO an estimated 660,000 new cases of cervical cancer were recorded. – James Kon
