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PAHO supports WHO’s new global strategy and will work with countries and partners in the Americas to eliminate cancer that kills 34,000 regional women each year
Geneva, November 17, 2020 – The WHO global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer, launched today, outlines three key steps: vaccination, screening and treatment. Proper implementation of all three cases could reduce more than 40% of new disease cases and 5 million related deaths by 2050.
Today’s development represents a historic milestone because it marks the first time that 194 countries have committed to eliminating cervical cancer, following the adoption of a resolution at this year’s World Health Assembly. Achieving the following goals by 2030 will put all countries on the path of elimination:
- 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age
- 70% of women were screened using a high performance test by age 35 and again by age 45
- 90% of women identified with treated cervical disease (90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with managed invasive cancer).
The strategy also emphasizes that investing in interventions to achieve these goals can generate substantial economic and social returns. It is estimated that USD 3.20 will be returned to the economy for every dollar invested through 2050 and beyond, due to increased participation of the female workforce. The figure rises to US $ 26.00 when considering the benefits of improving women’s health on families, communities and society.
“Eliminating any cancer would once have seemed like an impossible dream, but now we have the economic and evidence-based tools to make that dream a reality,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “But we can only eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem if we combine the power of the tools we have with the inexorable determination to increase their use globally.”
Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. It is also treatable if detected early and properly treated. Yet it is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Without taking further action, the annual number of new cervical cancer cases is projected to increase from 570,000 to 700,000 between 2018 and 2030, while the annual number of deaths is expected to rise from 311,000 to 400,000. In low- and middle-income countries, its incidence is nearly double and the death rate three times higher than in high-income countries.
“The enormous burden of cervical cancer-related mortality is a consequence of decades of neglect by the global health community. However, the script can be rewritten, “said Dr Nothemba (Nono) Simelela, WHO Deputy Director-General.” Critical developments include the availability of prophylactic vaccines; low-cost approaches to screening and treating cancer precursors and new approaches to surgical training. Through a shared global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no one behind, countries around the world are forging a new path to ending cervical cancer. “
However, the strategy is launched at a difficult time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to the prevention of cancer-related deaths, including the disruption of vaccination, screening and treatment services; border closures that reduce the availability of supplies and prevent the passage of qualified biomedical engineers for equipment maintenance; new barriers preventing women in rural areas from going to referral centers for treatment; and school closures that disrupt school vaccination programs. To the extent possible, however, WHO urges all countries to ensure that vaccination, screening and treatment can continue safely, with all necessary precautions.
“The fight against cervical cancer is also a fight for women’s rights: the unnecessary suffering caused by this preventable disease reflects the injustices that uniquely affect the health of women around the world,” said Dr Simelela. “Together, we can make history to ensure a future without cervical cancer.”
The launch is celebrated with a day of action around the world as ministries of health, partners and cancer advocates engage in activities to improve access to cancer prevention and treatment for girls and women.
Around the world, monuments are illuminated with cervical teal, from Niagara Falls in North America to The Dubai Frame, to city skylines across Australia.
Cervical cancer in the Americas
In the region of the Americas, more than 72,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 34,000 die each year from the disease. Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women in 23 countries across the Americas. Furthermore, inequalities in access to health care affect the health status of women with cancer. In Latin America and the Caribbean, cervical cancer mortality rates are three times higher than in North America.
The HPV vaccine, which can prevent cervical cancer and is recommended for girls aged 9-14, is available in public health programs in 43 countries and territories in the region. However, in most countries, coverage with the two recommended doses does not reach 90% of the target population. Additionally, approximately 32 million women (over the age of 30) in the region need to be tested for HPV.
In September 2018, the region’s health ministers agreed on a plan which, with the support of the APHO, aims to reduce new cases and deaths from cervical cancer by a third by 2030 and is aligned with the global strategy launched now. .
“The Americas are globally recognized for pioneering the elimination of diseases such as smallpox, polio and neonatal tetanus and can also eliminate cervical cancer,” said PAHO Director Dr Carissa F Etienne. “PAHO fully supports this cervical cancer elimination strategy and is committed to working with Member States and partners to achieve these new goals.”
More information on events in countries around the world and monument lighting will be posted here
Update: Launch of the global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer
Contacts
PAHO Media Team
Sebastian Oliel
Ashley Baldwin
Daniel Epstein
Nancy Nusser
[email protected]
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