Cervical cancer killing more than 1600 Malawian women yearly

By LUCKY MKANDAWIRE

Malawi’s Ministry of Health has issued disturbing statistics of women developing and dying from cervical cancer in the country.

The disease causes death and according to the ministry it is the commonest and serious cancer in women accounting to about 45 percent of all cancers but if diagnosed and treated early it can easily controlled.

The ministry, in a media statement, discloses that over 2,300 women in the country develop cervical cancer and over 1,600 get killed from the disease and if nothing is done, the numbers may increase by over 60 percent by 2025 to 3,800 developing cases and approximately 2,600 deaths per year.

Cervical cancer is caused by different sub-types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus.

And the ministry says it will start giving out HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer to adolescent girls aged between nine and 13 in Zomba and Rumphi districts.

Ministry of Health Spokesperson, Henry Chimbali, said the initiative, which is on pilot phase, started Monday, September 23, and will target approximately 4,450 girls in Rumphi and 2,500 in Zomba urban district before rolling it out nationwide.

Financed by Global Alliance on Vaccine Initiative (GAVI), which assists developing countries introduce new and underutilized vaccines, and other partners, if the pilot phase of the project succeeds, the country would be able to scale up the vaccine nationally by 2015.

The introduction of HPV vaccination among adolescent girls follows World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation and currently there are two vaccines that can prevent diseases caused by the HPV.

According to Chimbali, vaccination against HPV to adolescent girls is an effective approach in preventing cervical cancer the country experiences with the introduction of new vaccines which include Pentavalent, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), and rotavirus vaccines.

The vaccine, which is given on the upper arm of a girl, is to be given in three doses at zero months (Sept), second month (November) then sixth month (March).

Most HPV infections go away on their own within one to two years and do not cause cancer. However, about five to 10 percent of women infected with high-risk HPV types develop persistent HPV infections.

Cancer is a disease in which a group of cells in an organ display uncontrolled growth, and can sometimes spread to other locations in the body.

Health experts discuss improving lives of terminally ill African patients

By LUCKY MKANDAWIRE

ABOUT 50 high-level representatives from African ministries of health ended their first-ever palliative care conference in South Africa on Friday, 20 September, with a call to African nations to provide people suffering from long-term chronic illnesses with adequate care.

The delegates bemoaned lack of proper access to care for people suffering from incurable and chronic diseases in the African region.

Dr Gwen Malegwala Ramokgopa, Deputy Minister of Health for South Africa, who led the adoption process for a consensus statement for palliative care integration into health systems in Africa, said it was high time African countries developed local models that would ensure swift roll out of palliative care services in their respective countries.

Malawi was represented at the weeklong conference, convened under the theme; the net effect: Spanning diseases, crossing boarders,  by Deputy Minister of Health, Agnes Mandevu-Chatipwa, who expressed Malawi Government’s commitment to accelerate access to palliative care services in the country.

The session was aimed at increasing awareness on the progress being made and the innovative approaches being used to strengthen health systems in Africa using palliative care and also increase awareness of the needs and challenges of people affected by life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses and the role that palliative care plays in alleviating related pain and human suffering.

The delegates discussed and shared their insights into palliative care development within the framework that was agreed at the UN High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases in September 2011, and consequently the African Union’s (AU) common position on palliative care and access to pain medications.

They also discussed essential elements of a regional strategy for integrating palliative care into African health systems, reflected in a consensus statement that was adopted by the ministers and delegates attending the session.

The conference also facilitated decision making on priority actions to fully address the needs of those living with, and dying from, life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses in Africa, and the needs of their families.

And through a consensus statement, the conference articulated the essential elements of a regional strategy for increasing access to palliative care, by both adults and children living with, and dying from, life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses.

Dr Emmanuel Luyirika, Executive Director of APCA, said being the first-ever palliative care session for health ministers in Africa, it was a strategic turning point in the effort to reduce suffering among patients with life-limiting illnesses as Africa moves towards entrenching palliative care into health systems.

“Its theme reflects our drive to constantly consider the “net effect”, the ultimate impact of our work with patients in Africa. With this in mind, our conference serves as a celebratory opportunity to consider the inclusive nature of palliative care, spanning the disease spectrum – from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases and the interplay between the two.

“We are pleased to host internationally renowned experts in global health and public policy through our plenary sessions and workshops. The conference will represent a unique opportunity not only to meet the world’s leading experts in the field of global health, but also to present cutting-edge innovative research and best practice in palliative care applicable to your work.

“We know it is only by “crossing borders” between disciplines, in global sharing of best practice that we can ultimately achieve the aim of making palliative care a human right for all. Our conference serves as a lynchpin for palliative care provision and development in Africa. Bringing together the continent’s clinical practitioners and national associations; people who make decisions that affect palliative care funding, availability and teaching; supporters and donors from beyond Africa, and technical experts in fields such as advocacy, research, organisational development, humanitarian work, communications and fundraising,” said Dr Luyirika, conference co-chairperson.

The conference, attended by ministers of health or their representatives, senior policy and technical officials from ministries of health from about 40 African countries, was organised by the African Palliative Care Association (APCA) and the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa.

The conference also drew chief executive officers of palliative care organisations from within and outside Africa, international development organisations and donors, and national palliative care associations and academic institutions from across Africa. Representatives from regional networks such as the African Union (AU), and the World Health Organisation’s Africa Office were also in attendance.

The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) works collaboratively with existing and potential stakeholders of palliative care services across Africa to help expand service provision and strengthen health systems by driving palliative care policy and education integration throughout Africa. APCA also works with governments and policymakers to ensure that the optimum policy and regulatory framework exists for the development of palliative care across Africa.