Download file, English (1 MB PDF) - RHO

Introduction
Cervical cancer remains a major public health problem in developing countries, especially in Africa
where an estimated 53,000 women die of the disease every year. Fortunately, we now have measures
that offer unprecedented opportunities for preventing this cancer that devastates families: efficient,
low-cost screening approaches suitable for low-resource areas and vaccines that are efficacious in
preventing the infections and precancerous changes that can lead to cervical cancer.
Over the past four years Uganda has been gaining experience both with vaccination of young adolescent
girls against human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes cervical cancer, and with new situationappropriate
methods for cervical screening and precancer treatment of older women. The latter include
visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy, as well as screening tests using HPV DNA
technologies. Other countries in the region also have valuable experience to share related to cervical
cancer prevention, such as pilot vaccination programs and digital technologies for cervical screening.
This conference was organized by PATH in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Uganda and the
World Health Organization (WHO). Representatives were invited from eight other African countries that
have shown commitment to cervical cancer prevention, including an interest in HPV vaccination. Special
effort was made to invite colleagues from the fields of cancer, reproductive health, and immunization,
since cervical cancer prevention stands at the intersection of these fields.
The intent of the conference was to create an environment where ministry of health (MOH) participants
and other key stakeholders could find common ground and begin to craft strategies on country-specific
agendas for cervical cancer prevention and control.
The objectives and expected results of the meeting were as follows:
Objectives
• Share available scientific evidence regarding the HPV vaccination demonstration project in
Uganda (coverage, acceptability, feasibility, and cost of implementation; delivery strategies and
strategies for monitoring and evaluation).
• Share available evidence regarding approaches and technologies for cervical cancer screening
(current HPV DNA tests, the new careHPV Test, and visual inspection methods) and discuss
approaches for screening and precancer treatment according to different resource levels and in
different settings.
• Share experiences from African countries in assessing new technologies for cervical cancer
prevention and incorporating them into public health programs.
• Prioritize and plan collaborative activities among country-level participants to strengthen
cervical cancer prevention programs and support introduction of new approaches and
technologies in their countries.
Report of an African Regional Meeting on Cervical Cancer: September 2010 9