Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Her Excellency Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota has called for concerted efforts to empower women with knowledge and skills to protect themselves against cervical cancer.
Ambassador Kasese-Bota said this in a statement read on her behalf by Zambia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ms. Christine Kalamwina, during an event organized by Missions of Zambia and US to the UN, and ‘Every Woman Every Child’ to mark World Cancer Day at UN HQ in New York.
Ambassador Dr Kasese-Bota said efforts must be made to increase screening opportunities, early recognition of signs of cervical cancer and ensuring that healthcare was sought without delay for the affected women.
She called for increase in the vaccination of young girls to prevent infection with the human papilloma virus, which is the main cause of cervical cancer.
“The growing cancer burden across the globe calls for the international community to remain committed to the World Cancer Declaration, which outlines the steps needed to reverse the global cancer crisis by 2020,” Ambassador Kasese-Bota said.
“There is need for the global community to allocate adequate human, financial and other resources towards the management of cervical cancer, especially in the developing world.”
She said there was urgent need for national governments to consider allocating adequate financial resources to ensure that early detection, treatment and regular follow-up of cervical cancer was made available to all women.
“Recently inherited statistics show that Zambia has the second highest rates of Cervical Cancer in the world and is the second most common cancer among women. According to the estimates by the World Health Organisation an estimated number of 1300 women die of cervical cancer out of the 1900 diagnosed each year, despite the fact that Cervical Cancer can be treated, if diagnosed early,” Kasese-Bota said.
She said the Zambian Government has been very responsive to fight cervical cancer, as evidenced through the implementation of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme in collaboration with development partners like the US Government.
“These Free Cervical Cancer Screening Clinics are located in all the 10 provinces of Zambia,” said Ambassador Kasese-Bota. “The Zambian Government has also partnered with the US Government and the George W. Bush Institute to launch the Pink Red/Red Ribbon Campaign which builds on existing healthcare programme to integrate Cervical Cancer prevention.”
Approximately 86 per cent of all cervical cancer cases occur in developing countries. For Sub-Saharan Africa, Cervical Cancer is the most common cancer among women, where at least 35 cases are diagnosed for every 100, 000 women.
