The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday launched a Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer.

While outlining three key steps to eradicating the dreaded disease: vaccination, screening and treatment.

Saying, successful implementation of all three could reduce more than 40% of new cases of the disease and 5 million related deaths by 2050.

Today’s development represents a historic milestone because it marks the first time that 194 countries commit to eliminating cancer – following adoption of a resolution at this year’s World Health Assembly. 

Meeting the following targets by 2030 will place all countries on the path toward elimination: 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age; 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by age 35 and again by 45; and 90% of women identified with cervical disease receive treatment (90% of women with  pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed).

The strategy also stresses that investing in the interventions to meet these targets can generate substantial economic and societal returns. An estimated US$ 3.20 will be returned to the economy for every dollar invested through 2050 and beyond, owing to increases in women’s workforce participation. The figure rises to US$ 26.00 when the benefits of women’s improved health on families, communities and societies are considered.

WHO Director General , Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, hinted that; “Eliminating any cancer would have once seemed an impossible dream, but we now have the cost-effective, evidence-based tools to make that dream a reality.

“But we can only eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem if we match the power of the tools we have with unrelenting determination to scale up their use globally.”

Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. It is also curable if detected early and adequately treated. Yet it is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Without taking additional action, the annual number of new cases of cervical cancer is expected to increase from 570 000 to 700 000 between 2018 and 2030, while the annual number of deaths is projected to rise from 311 000 to 400 000. In low- and middle-income countries, its incidence is nearly twice as high and its death rates three times as high as those in high-income countries.

Also, the WHO Assistant Director General Dr Princess Nothemba (Nono) Simelela added; “The huge burden of mortality related to cervical cancer is a consequence of decades of neglect by the global health community. However, the script can be rewritten.

“Critical developments include the availability of prophylactic vaccines; low-cost approaches to screening and treating cervical cancer precursors; and novel approaches to surgical training. Through a shared global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and leaving no-one behind, the countries of the world are forging a new path to ending cervical cancer.”

The strategy is launched at a challenging time, however the COVID-19 pandemic has posed challenges to preventing deaths due to cancer, including the interruption of vaccination, screening and treatment services; border closures that reduced the availability of supplies and that prevent the transit of skilled biomedical engineers to maintain equipment; new barriers preventing women in rural areas from travelling to referral centres for treatment; and school closures that interrupt school vaccine programmes. To the extent possible, however, WHO urges all countries to ensure that vaccination, screening and treatment can continue safely, with all necessary precautions. 

More so; Dr Princess Nothemba Simelela stated that; “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 women’s health around the world,”

“Together, we can make history to ensure a cervical cancer-free future.”

The launch is being celebrated with a day of action across the globe, 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 being illuminated in the cervical teal, from Niagara Falls in North America to The Dubai Frame, to city skylines across Australia.  (More information about the events in countries around the world and monument lightings will be posted here.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), with support from
the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through the
UReport platform, has launched an SMS based interactive chatbot to provide Nigerians with timely and accurate information on COVID-19. 

Currently, over 64,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Nigeria, with over 50,000,000 confirmed globally.

One of our NCDC’s key responsibilities as Nigeria’s
National Public Health Institute is to provide Nigerians with timely and accurate information to reduce their risk of infection.

This has been done through a website dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an ongoing communications campaign
with the theme #TakeResponsibility. These have formed the cornerstone of public health
messaging on the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Our communications approach has leveraged social media, mainstream media and all other avenues to encourage Nigerians
to take responsibility for protecting themselves and loved ones and preventing the spread
of COVID-19.

This new COVID-19 chat bot will serve as an additional medium to access validated, vetted and accurate information about COVID-19 and government’s efforts to control the pandemic.

According to the Director General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, he said that, “At NCDC, we always
leverage opportunities to use technological solutions to enhance the delivery of our
mandate. Technology has been critical for strengthening our public health response to
COVID-19. This interactive chatbot is a welcome initiative that will be integrated into
existing technology deployed for communication at the NCDC. We are grateful to UNICEF
and partners for supporting our efforts to provide Nigerians with prompt and reliable
information on the COVID-19 pandemic.”

However, UNICEF Nigeria Representative , Peter Hawkins, hinted that, “COVID-19 is not to be taken lightly and needs to be discussed factually and accurately. We need to guard against
misinformation to help save lives. The new chatbot is a useful tool that provides vetted
and accurate information and response to the coronavirus pandemic.”

UReport is an innovative mobile social monitoring platform for community participation
to address issues that matter to young people. It is designed to give young people a
chance to voice their opinions on issues in their communities, encourage citizen-led
development and create a positive change. The chat bot can be accessed for free across
all networks via SMS by sending the word “coronavirus” to the shortcode 24453. Also,
Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp users can send the word “Coronavirus” to
+2349087401607 as well as via the UReport platform on Facebook via @ureportnigeria

The NCDC, under the guidance of the Federal Ministry of Health, remains strongly
committed to protect the health of Nigerians. We urge the public to remain aware of the
risks of COVID-19 and to adhere to the preventive measures advised by the Presidential
Task Force on COVID-19 and the Federal Ministry of Health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delta and Enugu states to investigate and respond to the recently reported deaths from an outbreak of Yellow Fever.

It would be recalled that the Ministries of Health for both states notified the NCDC on 02 and 03 November 2020 respectively of cases presenting with symptoms indicative of viral hemorrhagic fever. As at 06 November 2020, three samples from Delta and one from Enugu tested positive for Yellow fever at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital Laboratory and NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory, Abuja. Additional blood samples have since similarly tested positive, hence, an outbreak of Yellow Fever was confirmed.

With the onset of the current outbreak, epidemiologists, and other health professionals in WHO, NCDC and NPHCDA are working in support of State public health teams or Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) that have been organized and trained in each of the affected States. Outbreak investigation is ongoing in each state through the RRTs under the coordination of respective State Ministries of Health. Hospitals have been identified in each state and capacitated to manage patients who develop symptoms and complications.

Initiating a response to the outbreak, Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ikechukwu Emmanuel Obi during the EOC meeting after definitive diagnosis of the disease said that the disease had been reported from Etteh-Uno and Umuopu communities in Igbo-Eze north LGA. He indicated that the state RRT had done an outbreak investigation and identified those so far affected. He promised to facilitate a reactive Yellow fever mass vaccination intervention for the affected and neighboring LGAs.

Meanwhile, sensitization campaign is being implemented in the communities with reported cases on avoiding daytime mosquito bites, keeping home surroundings clean and clearing mosquito bleeding areas. People who develop symptoms are being encouraged to urgently seek medical help at nearest health facilities.

Nigeria has been battling successive yellow fever outbreaks since September 2017. The NPHCDA, with assistance from WHO has been applying and obtaining donated vaccines through the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, established in 1997, to manage the provision of emergency vaccine supplies to countries during major outbreaks to conduct reactive vaccination campaigns in response to outbreaks. This year, proactive vaccination campaigns were planned for most at risk states including Delta. The Delta campaign that was supposed to start by the end of the month of November 2020, has now been brought forward and started on 10 November, 2020 the affected LGAs.

Speaking on the outbreak, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo says that Nigeria is one of the countries implementing Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy. This strategy is being steered by WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to protect at-risk populations, prevent international spread and contain outbreaks rapidly.

“As part of EYE strategy, Nigeria has developed a 10-year strategic plan for the elimination yellow fever epidemics. Through this strategy, the country plans to vaccinate at least 80% of the target population in all states by 2026”, Dr Mulombo said. The Delta statewide proactive vaccination campaign was planned under the EYE strategy.

Yellow fever is caused by a virus spread through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitos. This type of mosquito bites during the day. Some of those infected develop serious symptoms, including high fever, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains, headache and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Some die from the complications of internal bleeding and organ failure.

Infection with Yellow Fever virus is easily prevented by a vaccine that provides immunity for life. Large epidemics of yellow fever occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high mosquito density and low vaccination coverage. In Delta State, for example, all cases have no history of Yellow fever vaccination, including a one-year-old baby.

Investigations further revealed that adults who bring their children for immunization have always refused to receive yellow fever vaccination when offered by health workers.