The legal framework
Zambia built one of the earliest large cervical cancer prevention programmes in Africa, using visual inspection with digital imaging and same-visit treatment, delivered through public clinics. HPV vaccination entered routine immunisation in 2019 for girls aged 9 to 14. The burden remains among the highest in the world, driven in part by high HIV prevalence.
Zambia runs one of the longest-established cervical cancer prevention programmes in Africa, built around screening integrated into HIV services with visual inspection and same-visit treatment, and has introduced HPV vaccination for girls into routine immunisation. The integration with HIV care is the distinctive feature and has been widely studied.
Key points
| Screening programme | A long-established national programme using visual inspection with same-visit treatment |
|---|---|
| Vaccination | In routine immunisation since 2019 for girls aged 9 to 14 |
| Women living with HIV | Screened more frequently; HIV substantially raises risk |
| Same-visit treatment | Cryotherapy or thermal ablation during the screening visit |
| Burden | Among the highest incidence rates in the world |
| Cost | Vaccination and public screening are free |
| Integration | Screening is integrated with HIV care in many facilities |
In practice
- Ask for screening at a public clinic: the programme is established and treatment can follow in the same visit.
- If you are living with HIV, screening is more urgent and more frequent for you.
- Have daughters aged 9 to 14 vaccinated free of charge.
- Bleeding after sex needs examination without delay.
Cost and coverage
Vaccination and public screening are free.
Where to go
- Public clinics with cervical cancer prevention services.
- Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka.
- HIV clinics, which integrate screening.
Worth knowing
Same-visit screening and treatment is the core of the Zambian model: you can arrive, be screened and be treated in one visit, which removes the loss of women between diagnosis and care.
Frequently asked questions
Why is screening linked to HIV services in Zambia?
Because women living with HIV are at much higher risk of persistent HPV infection and of progression to cancer, and because HIV clinics already see them regularly. Integrating screening into that visit reaches the highest-risk group without requiring a separate appointment.
Why vaccinate boys as well as girls?
Because HPV causes cancers of the penis, anus and throat as well as the cervix, and genital warts in both sexes — and because high coverage in both sexes cuts transmission for everyone far faster than vaccinating girls alone. Programmes that include boys reach population-level protection years earlier, which is why almost every country that started with girls has since extended it.
Official sources and links
- UN Human Rights Office — ratified treaties and country reviews
- ILO NATLEX — national legislation database