2024-03-08 02:22:21
This March 7, during a global forum organized in Colombia, governments, donors, multilateral institutions and partners announced major new political, programmatic and financial commitments, including new financing to the tune of $600 million, to eliminate Cervical cancer. The new funding includes $400 million from the World Bank, $180 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, $10 million from UNICEF. If these ambitions to expand vaccination coverage and strengthen screening and treatment programs are fully realized, the world might, for the first time, eliminate a type of cancer.
These commitments were made at the first-ever Global Forum to Eliminate Cervical Cancer: Advancing the Call to Action, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, to catalyze national momentum and global effort to end this preventable disease.
Every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer, even though the knowledge and tools to prevent and even eliminate this disease already exist. Vaccination once morest human papillomavirus, the leading cause of cervical cancer, can prevent the vast majority of cases and, together with screening and treatment, provides a pathway to eliminating the disease.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, and continues to disproportionately affect women and their families in low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation for a single dose of human papillomavirus vaccine globally has significantly reduced barriers to scaling up vaccination programs. This decision was reinforced by a similar recommendation in the Region of the Americas in 2023. The WHO Regional Office for Africa has just followed suit with its own recommendation for countries in the Region to adopt the vaccination schedule single dose. To date, 37 countries have reported switching or intending to switch to a single-dose regimen.
The commitments announced at the forum mark a turning point in accelerating progress on the promise made in 2020, when 194 countries adopted the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a public health problem.
“We have the knowledge and tools to make cervical cancer history, but vaccination, screening and treatment programs still fall short of the scale needed,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “This first global forum is an important opportunity for governments and partners to invest in the Global Elimination Strategy and tackle the inequalities that prevent women and girls from accessing the life-saving tools they need. »
In addition to Indonesia’s recommitment to its 2023 National Action Plan, other national commitments were made:
●The Democratic Republic of Congo is committed to introducing the HPV vaccine as soon as possible using the WHO-recommended single-dose schedule. She also undertakes to do everything possible to achieve, as soon as possible, the vaccination coverage objective of the cervical cancer elimination strategy for girls aged 9 to 14 years.
● Ethiopia commits to implementing an effective vaccine distribution strategy across the country, aiming for 95% coverage for all 14-year-old girls, regardless of their socio-economic status, whether they whether they are in school or not. The country also commits to screening one million eligible women for cervical cancer each year and treating 90% of screened women who have precancerous lesions. Additionally, the introduction of a single dose of human papillomavirus vaccine was approved this year and will be rolled out under the country’s Expanded Program on Immunization.
● Nigeria launched its national human papillomavirus vaccination program this year, adopting the single-dose regimen for girls aged 9 to 14 years, and is now committed to achieving at least 80% vaccination coverage. in girls. This country is committed to continuing to increase human papillomavirus vaccination coverage through an effective distribution strategy that will meet girls where they are. For girls in school, the country will focus on school-based services. For out-of-school girls, awareness-raising activities will be implemented at key times of the year, with the aim of achieving coverage of at least 80% of targeted girls by 2026.
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