A comprehensive approach to prevention and control of cervical cancer encompasses interventions along the continuum of care, from primary prevention to early detection, treatment and palliative care. In high-income countries, deaths from cervical cancer have been greatly reduced through wide coverage of cytology-based screening programmes, which allow early detection and treatment of precancerous lesions. Progress has been made in developing a simplified approach to early detection of precancerous lesions, for use in low-income countries, through visual inspection of the cervix. Studies have shown that this approach has the potential to reduce cervical cancer in low-resource settings, since it can be implemented by mid-level personnel and does not need laboratory services or highly trained staff. Screening and treatment, where necessary, can be done at a single visit, using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy. However, the impact of this approach on cervical cancer incidence and mortality still needs