FIRST LADY CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST CERVICAL CANCER

Mozambique’s First Lady, Maria da Luz Guebuza, on Monday called for combined efforts to fight cervical cancer. Speaking in Kuala Lumpur at the Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Prevention, Maria da Luz Guebuza described the illness as a tragedy for African women and families which perpetuates poverty.She explained that, for countries such as Mozambique, cervical cancer is a serious problem for public health which also results in high economic losses.Maria da Luz Guebuza pointed out that “in 2008 about 50,000 African women died from cervical cancer, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa”. She stated that the worst affected countries include Guinea Conakry, Comoros, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.She explained that six million Mozambican women are at risk of developing cervical cancer, and added that “each year, more than three thousand new cases are diagnosed and about two thousand women die”.Maria da Luz Guebuza warned that the prevalence of HIV in fertile women in Africa continues to grow. She pointed out that this is an aggravating risk factor in the development of cervical cancer.She stressed that cervical cancer is preventable and treatable if detected early. The screening technology is cheap, and immediate treatment can save the lives of many women.In addition, the vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) is a safe and effective tool against types 16 and 18 of the virus which are responsible for about 70 per cent of cervical cancer cases.The First Lady stressed that “vaccinating young women against the HPV virus will have a huge impact on the incidence rate in future generations”She praised the work of the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) which has been instrumental in the introduction of the vaccine at a reduced cost. Health authorities in Mozambique will begin to administer the vaccine in 2014 to girls between the ages of 9 and 13.However, she stressed that universal access to prevention, screening and treatment services is fundamental for reducing the incidence of cervical cancer.Maria da Luz Guebuza concluded, “we can and must guarantee that all women, wherever they are born and wherever they live, will be protected against this terrible form of cancer”. She pointed out that the growing awareness in society about the illness in Africa brings the hope that in coming years millions of lives can be saved.She pointed out that this “is a huge challenge that requires a strong and continuous partnership between organisations and entities dedicated to the struggle against cancer, and for women’s health and sexual and reproductive health”.Cervical cancer kills more than 275,000 women worldwide every year.