“Girls and women in the developing world are losing the fight against cervical cancer because we have failed to close deadly gaps in prevention, screening and treatment that could spare their lives and end this disease,” John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, and Sally Grooms Cowal, senior vice president and chief liaison officer at PSI, write in a Forbes opinion piece published as “part of a special edition of Impact – PSI’s global health magazine — and … produced in partnership with Women Deliver and the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.” They continue, “The control of cervical cancer is at a global tipping point with the advent of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.”

“But we must accelerate adoption of the HPV vaccine, improve access to resource-appropriate cervical cancer screenings, and increase global resources for and attention to cervical cancer prevention and treatment,” Seffrin and Grooms Cowal write. “With proven, cost-effective interventions at hand and a recent commitment to wider accessibility of the HPV vaccine … [w]e have an unprecedented opportunity — and a moral obligation — to change the course of cervical cancer and [non-communicable diseases (NCDs)],” they write, concluding, “But we must ensure they are a priority at the global policy level, with investments and action reflecting these diseases’ tremendous impact on society, health and the economy” (5/30).