Cervical Cancer in Serbia: 459 Women Die Each Year

How many women in Serbia die of cervical cancer every year? On average 459, which is more than one a day. Over ten years, that adds up to more than four thousand women.

That figure was cited on October 14, 2026, at the Palace of Serbia, during the national conference “Generation of Prevention,” devoted to prevention and women’s health. The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. It was opened by Tatjana Macura, minister without portfolio in the caretaker government, Tamara Vucic as patron, Nebojsa Tasic, assistant minister of health, and Verica Jovanovic, acting director of the Batut Institute.

What was said at the opening?

Tamara Vucic, as reported by Tanjug, began with the number:

“In Serbia, an average of 459 women die of cervical cancer every year. More than one woman every single day.”

She then listed what the state already has: “We have the knowledge. We have the HPV vaccine. We have preventive exams and screening programs.”

Tatjana Macura addressed one of the reasons people doubt vaccination: “Disinformation and half-truths did not disappear with the pandemic.” Verica Jovanovic said it is “the right time, and the last moment, to once again turn our attention to immunization.”

How many children have had the HPV vaccine?

Here the sources differ. Gorica Djokic of the association Progovori told Euronews Srbija at the conference: “HPV immunization coverage is still below 10 percent, and we have to work on that.” Tanjug, on the other hand, reports that 10 percent of children have received the HPV vaccine, based on 2022 data.

By the same 2022 data, only 7 percent of women had a preventive gynecological exam. Djokic adds that more than 4,000 women a year develop gynecological cancers, and she summed up her wish in one sentence: “I would like every woman to go for a preventive exam once a year.”

Who can get the vaccine for free?

If you have a daughter or son in that age group, here is what applies:

• the HPV vaccine is free for boys and girls aged 9 to 19
• people older than 19 can also be vaccinated at the state’s expense
• intensive prevention and HPV immunization have been under way for almost five years

Djokic points out that the vaccine protects against cervical cancer, but also against other diseases linked to HPV.

What was on the program?

The working part had three panels and a TED session. The first, “Why?”, dealt with HPV immunization. The second, “How?”, covered prevention and early treatment of female cancers, and the third, “What next?”, asked how society can care more about women’s health.

Speakers included Srdja Jankovic, chair of the Republic Expert Commission for Immunization, Ana Banko of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, Aljosa Mandic of the Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, and Lazar Nejkovic, president of the Serbian Association for Gynecologic Oncology. Mirjana Strbac of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina gave a TED talk titled “One Vaccine Can Change the Future of One Generation.”

According to the program, the conference closes with the presentation of the “Generation of Prevention” Declaration, which contains ten strategic recommendations, along with the announcement of an initiative called the Women’s Health Prevention Index - Serbia.