He said that sex before the age of 18 is one of the major causes of cervical cancer in young women. Other causes are multiple partners, smoking and not having frequent pap smear examinations. Sibanda added that women with compromised immune systems are at risk of getting the disease. He said the ministry has been receiving cases of cervical cancer from women as young as 20 years. The ministry recorded 16 cases of cervical cancer in women aged 20-24 between 1998 and 2010. There were 66 cases in women aged 25-29 in the same period. Records show that women aged between 35-54 recorded the most cases of the disease. Sibanda said that currently, there is no indication or supporting evidence to lower the age of cervical cancer test. "The Botswana National Cervical Cytology Screening Programme recommends that all sexually active females above the age of 15 are eligible for a pap smear," he said. He stated that awareness campaigns on risk prevention is going on among the female population. Meanwhile, cervical cancer in young women is increasing despite the fact that overall incidence of the disease is dropping by about a third, new figures in England have revealed.
Recent media reports say cases of cervical cancer in women in their 20s in England have risen dramatically, while rates among women aged 50-79 have dropped significantly, from 1992 to 1994 and 2006 to 2008 respectively.
