A woman in Australia will be the first in the world to be offered do-it-yourself cervical cancer tests.
Women eligible for the test will be able to swab themselves in a private room under the supervision of a health professional beginning July 1.
The initiative aims to increase female testing rates, with health professionals hoping that the disease can be completely eradicated in Australia within five to six years.
The self-collection tests are also intended for women who may find traditional testing procedures embarrassing or uncomfortable.
Those who choose to self-test will be taken to a private room at a medical practice and instructed to insert a swab into their vagina to detect any of the 14 types of cervical cancer.
The test is straightforward, private, quick, and risk-free, and the swab does not need to reach the cervix.
It can also be requested via telehealth appointment.
Karen Canfell, an Australian epidemiologist and cancer researcher at the Daffodil Centre, stated that medical breakthroughs in Australia would aid in the fight against cervical cancer.
‘There are still over 900 women diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and unfortunately about 250 women lose their lives,’ she told Nine News.
Professor Marion Saville, executive director of the Australian Centre for Prevention of Cervical Cancer, said that she believes Australia could eliminate cervical cancer ‘within the next five or six years’.
Ms Canfell stated that Australia was “on track” to eradicate the disease by 2035, if not sooner.
According to Healthdirect, approximately 90% of women who die from cervical cancer are either not up to date with their screening or have not been tested.
Screening is advised for women between the ages of 24 and 74.