Global initiative against cervical cancer kicks off

Nov 13, 2015

A global initiative to tackle the growing burden of cervical cancer in low and middle income countries has been launched.


By Carol Natukunda & agencies

A global initiative to tackle the growing burden of cervical cancer in low and middle income countries has been launched.


Dubbed Taking Cervical Cancer Prevention to Scale: Protecting All Women and Girls, the initiative seeks to ensure that all women and girls are protected from the deadly disease.

It focuses on expanding and aligning global efforts to ensure that all girls are vaccinated against HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.

It also wants all women receive screening and preventive treatment of cervical pre cancer.

The initiative comes at a time when the global burden of cervical cancer is way too high.

In Uganda, over 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, according to the country’s health ministry statistics.

Globally an estimated 528,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and 266,000 die from the disease. Of these women, 85% live in developing countries.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, the number of cervical cancer cases is expected to rise to 443,000 cases globally, more than double the anticipated number of deaths from pregnancy-related complications (estimated to be 200,000).

At the same time, the global cost of cervical cancer is expected to grow from $2.7 billion per year in 2010 to $4.7 billion per year in 2030.

Activists say protecting women from cervical cancer is critical to preserving investments in maternal health, HIV and other global efforts to safeguard the lives of women.

Speaking at a London meeting to launch the initiative against cervical cancer recently, Dr. David Fleming a global public health expert stated:  “Over the past decade, we have built knowledge, experience and tools to take cervical cancer prevention to scale. We hope this meeting will serve as a tipping point for our global efforts to ensure that every girl and woman is protected.”

During the meeting, new data on the cost of action to prevent cervical cancer was released by the American Cancer Society in partnership with a team at Harvard University.

According to a press statement, US$3.65 billion are required over the next ten years to vaccinate all 10-year-old girls and provide screening and preventive treatment to women at highest risk for cervical cancer in developing countries.

“We know what to do, we have the tools, and with the evidence presented at this meeting we also know what it will cost to act,” said Sally Cowal, Senior Vice President, Global Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society.
The meeting, hosted by the Cervical Cancer Action (CCA), a coalition of global health advocates, included  leaders from governments in Africa, Latin American and Asia, along with representatives from the World Health Organization, United Nations Agencies, global philanthropies, international not-for-profit organizations and vaccine and medical diagnostic companies among others.

As part of the Cervical Cancer Action Initiative, Merck international drug manufacturers committed to continue offering the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) the HPV vaccine at a reduced price of US$ 4.5 per dose, for the next 10 years (2016-2025).

Merck manufactures one of the HPV vaccines available globally, Gardasil.

The commitment allows certain countries who graduate from GAVI support to continue to pay the same discounted price for Gardasil and RotaTeq vaccines through 2025.

Colleen McGuffin, the Vice President of Health Sciences at Merck Company  stated that the extension of their work to GAVI was a critical step toward achieving broad and sustained access to HPV vaccination in the countries that need them the most.

Lori Sloate, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, at the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) underscored their commitment to helping countries scale up HPV demonstration projects to ensure more vaccines are available in more countries.

Dr. Mark Dybul the Executive Director at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria committed to look into a decision to accept funding requests for the prevention and screening of cervical cancer.



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