The number of cervical screening tests conducted in Ballarat have plummeted, as a new Cancer Council Victoria campaign aims to increase awareness of the importance of regular screening.
The ‘In Your Hands’ campaign comes as new data from the Victorian Cancer Registry found over 200 Victorians were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2022.
More than 1,000 cases have been diagnosed in the five years from 2018 to 2022.
New data from the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer found the number of cervical screening tests performed in the Ballarat local government area dropped from over 7,400 in 2019 to just under 3,800 in 2022.
The Cancer Council says a test is the best way to prevent cervical cancer and is recommended every five years to those aged 25 to 74 with a cervix.
