In Australia, the good ol’ ‘Pap smear’ is a thing of the past.
In December 2017, Australia threw out the Pap smear and instated a new Cervical Screening Program using the Cervical Screening Test (CST).
The Pap smear involved spreading a swab of the cervix on a slide and looking for cell abnormalities. The CST also takes a swab of the cervix but sends it off for virus testing – specifically, Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
Read more about it here.
The Pap smear program was very successful in Australia. It was introduced in 1991 – previously, Pap smears were done ad hoc. Despite only a 60% participation rate, the program significantly reduced cervical cancer incidence and mortality. However, the rates have been static over the last 10 years – and we know we can do better with the new CST.