Government and partners rally together to eliminate a disease that still kills nine Kenyan women every day
The Kenyan Ministry of Health and its partners today officially launched the 2nd National Cervical Cancer Awareness Week with an event and walk-in Kathonzweni, Makueni County. The week aims to raise awareness about cervical cancer in Kenya, and free cervical cancer screenings are being offered across the country from January 19-25 in an effort to increase rates of early detection and treatment of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a serious disease that affects the opening of the womb in women which, if detected in advance stages or left untreated, can lead to death. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, Kenya is ranked among the top 20 countries globally with the highest rates of cervical cancer in women of reproductive age. Currently, the estimated annual number of new cervical cancer in Kenya cases is 5,250 while the annual number of deaths is 3,268.
Embracing global strategy for cervical cancer prevention
“Cervical cancer is preventable and curable in its early stages,” said Dr. Mary Nyangasi, Head of Kenya’s National Cancer Control Programme. “Yet many women in Kenya are not aware of the disease, and current screening rates are extremely low. Our aim this week is to increase public awareness about cervical cancer as a preventable disease and to catalyze action towards its elimination as a public health problem in Kenya.” In May 2018, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), issued a global call to action for the elimination of cervical cancer, challenging world leaders to ensure that girls globally are vaccinated against HPV and that every eligible woman is screened and treated for pre-cancerous lesions. Since then, Kenya has participated in the development of a global strategy for cervical cancer elimination and has embraced the proposed targets for 2030, which include: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age; 70% of women screened with a high-precision test at 35 and 45 years of age; and 90% of women identified with cervical disease receive treatment and care. “Every day nine Kenyan women die from cervical cancer,” said Simon Karo, CEO, Melchizedek Hospital. “This is unacceptable, and now is the time for all of us to roll-up our sleeves and act to eliminate this devastating disease.”
Preventing cervical cancer with HPV screening and the HPV vaccine
Routine cervical cancer screening for women of reproductive age can help prevent cervical cancer, or find it early when it’s easy to treat. Screening has also been proven to reduce mortality from cervical cancer. But currently, screening coverage rates in Kenya are low, with only around 16% of women having ever been screened. As a result, many women are diagnosed in very advanced disease stages when treatment options are limited and costly.
“Cervical cancer can take many years, even decades to develop and women usually do not have symptoms until more advanced stages,” said Benda N. Kithaka, Co-founder, Women 4 Cancer Early Detection &Treatment. “Screening allows us to can identify and treat pre-cancers, stopping cervical cancer before it starts.”When precancerous lesions are identified and removed, there is an almost 100 percent survival rate with appropriate evaluation, treatment, and follow-up care. In 2018, Kenya launched National Cancer Screening Guidelines, recommending HPV testing as the gold standard for cervical cancer screening. In addition to screening, a key tool in the fight against cervical cancer is the HPV vaccine, which prevents infection with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which causes almost all (99.7%) cases of cervical cancers. In Kenya, the Ministry of Health launched a national roll-out of the HPV vaccine into the routine immunization schedule in October 2019, aiming to vaccinate approximately 800,000 girls every year. The vaccine, available free of charge in all public health facilities, targets 10-year-old girls and is given in two doses, six months apart.“The HPV vaccine offers a tremendous opportunity to protect our young girls’ future, and we should all support this effort,” said Barrack Owino, HPV Vaccine Program Officer, Women 4 Cancer Early Detection & Treatment. “By vaccinating them before they become exposed to HPV when the vaccine is most effective, we’re ensuring that they can go on to live healthy and fulfilled lives, and one day become mothers themselves.”
The STOP Cervical Cancer Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health’s National Cancer Control Program, Kenya’s National Cancer Institute, Women 4 Cancer and other civil society organizations that have joined forces to profile cervical cancer as a growing public health concern in Kenya.
