The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Prof. Oliver Ezechi, has estimated that over 36 million women worldwide are at danger of contracting cervical cancer.
The Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist identified the condition as the second most frequent cancer after breast cancer during a news conference held in Lagos yesterday to launch a five-year project to prevent cervical cancer in Nigeria.
According to the global campaign World Health Organization (WHO) initiated in 2020 to hasten the elimination of the condition as a public health concern by 2030, the project aims to reduce the ill health and fatalities caused by cervical cancer.
He said: “Over 36 million women at age 15 years in Nigeria are at risk of developing cervical cancer. There are 12,000 cases diagnosed yearly, with 8,000 deaths, translating to 33 new cervical cancer cases and 22 deaths from the disease daily.”
Cervical cancer, also known as uterine cervix cancer, is the fourth most frequent cancer in women worldwide, taking one life every two minutes, according to the World Health Organization.
In 36 nations, including Nigeria, it is one of the main reasons why women get cancer and pass away. With an expected 604,000 new cases and 342,000 fatalities in 2020, low- and middle-income countries accounted for more than 90% of both the new cases and the deaths.
According to the HPV professor, infections are the main cause of cervical cancer. A tiny, non-enveloped DNA virus called HPV attacks cells in the skin or mucous membrane.
He pointed out that while Nigeria has developed cervical cancer screening guidelines and programs, overall federation coverage is still low.
He continued: “HPV vaccination is only available in private facilities. However, efforts are being made to introduce the HPV vaccine into immunization programmes to reach the elimination targets. Organized national programmes for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening and treatment must be implemented across the whole country and competencies of health workforce will need to be strengthened across all three pillars – HPV vaccination, cervical screening and treatment.
“It is against this backdrop that this research project, ‘Actions for Collaborative Community Engaged Strategies for HPV (ACCESS-HPV)’ was conceived to support the Nigerian national cancer prevention and control programme in its drive to join other nations of the world to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.”
