Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is most commonly caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Any woman can develop cervical cancer, but certain risk factors can put one at greater risk for developing the disease. Some of these are smoking, having multiple sex partners, and having given birth to three or more children.

To prevent this type of cancer, women are encouraged to do regular pap smears – which detect the presence of abnormal or cancer cells in the cervix. The test is done at hospitals, health centres and at the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS). The Ministry of Health (MOH) also recommends condom use during sexual intercourse, avoiding smoking, and getting the HPV vaccine, which protects against the most common types of HPV infections that cause cervical cancer. The vaccine is available at private healthcare facilities across the island and through the Government’s HPV vaccine programme.

For more information, please contact:

Ministry of Health
10-16 Grenada Way
Kingston 5
Tel: 876-633-8172 or 876-633-7771
URL: http://moh.gov.jm/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Cervical-Cancer-Factsheet.pdf