Biden Cancer Moonshot host cervical cancer forum

Cervical cancer experts, advocates, and survivors gathered at the White House in Washington, D.C., for a Cervical Cancer Forum organized by the Biden Cancer Moonshot team last month to mark the global commemoration of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

This event featured a wide array of representatives for both U.S.-focused cervical cancer prevention efforts and global initiatives whose efforts align with the Biden Cancer Moonshot’s two primary goals: to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of people who are touched by cancer.

Following a panel focused on efforts to prevent and treat cervical cancer in the United States, TogetHER for Health’s Executive Director Heather White moderated a panel titled, “United States Leadership to Drive Global Collaboration and Progress.” This panel also featured Vanessa Bennett, Senior International Business Leader, Oncology Disease Area, Roche Diagnostics; and Dr. Satish Gopal, Director, Centre for Global Health, National Cancer Institute.

Others include Hannah Johnson, Programme Manager, Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute; Dr. Pavani Ram, Chief, Child Health and Immunization Division, United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Dr. Kathleen Schmeler, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology; the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre; and Associate Vice President of Global Oncology for the MD Anderson Cancer Network.

In a document obtained by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), which is a development communication advocacy non-governmental organisation based in Tema, [email protected] Dr. White made a point felt acutely by many in the room: “To me, the Moonshot Initiative and cervical cancer elimination are the perfect dance partners.

“They both call on us to be bold, to be inclusive, and to be action-oriented in our approach."

Dr. White, on behalf of TogetHER, expressed appreciation to the Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative Team for the opportunity to play a role in this inspiring event.

Meanwhile, in Ghana, Dr. Prince Kofi Kludjeson, Board Chairman, Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), has noted that early detection of cervical abnormalities through screening is a critical component of cervical cancer elimination and has stated and called for up-scaled efforts to combat it.

“Current estimates indicate that every year, 2,797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 1,699 die from the disease. Data from the World Health Survey indicate that cervical cancer screening rates in urban and rural areas in Ghana are extremely low (3.2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively), he stated.

Dr. Kludjeson, who is also the President of Celltel Networks Limited, quoted the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy, which stipulates that women be screened twice, ideally at ages 35 and 45, with a high-performance test.

Speaking at a Cervical Cancer Awareness Month commemoration by CDA Consult, Dr. Kludjeson stated that CDA Consult, which is a development communication advocacy non-governmental organisation, is rallying stakeholders to launch a relentless national advocacy campaign to battle cervical cancer.

He added that CDA Consult aims to bring together health professionals, human rights advocates, gender activists, religion adherents, and communication practitioners to embark on a new model of advocacy.

He acknowledges that progress has been made in spreading cervical cancer awareness; nonetheless, "as we approach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal threshold for cervical cancer eradication, we need to scale up our efforts through a comprehensive national action involving both state and non-state actors."

Dr. Kludjeson, a former President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), stressed that infection by high-risk types of human papillomavirus

(HPV), the virus that causes over 99 percent of cervical cancers, can be prevented by safe and effective vaccines.

He said that as part of the WHO recommendation, girls between 9 and 14 years of age receive two doses of the HPV vaccine as a form of prevention, stressing that “we need collective efforts to deal with cervical cancer.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), recounted that Member States of the WHO approved an ambitious strategy in November 2020 to accelerate the global elimination of cervical cancer through the scale-up of effective interventions.

According to WHO data, US$ 94.7 million was invested in HPV vaccination programmes, and US$ 66.6 million was invested in cervical cancer screening and treatment programmes in 2021, both representing large increases over 2020.

Despite these increases, at the current pace, only around $1.6 billion, or 15 percent of the $10.5 billion necessary to achieve 2030 targets for cervical cancer elimination in low- and lower-middle-income countries, will be mobilised.

Mr. Ameyibor, a former Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager, said CDA Consult is to roll out a relentless advocacy campaign to combat cervical cancer in the country and also draw global attention to the slow pace of achieving the 2030 target and the need for scaling up the process.

The CDA Consult Executive Director stated that the project would be launched by the end of the first quarter of this year and urged interested companies to contact CDA Consult at [email protected].

The CDA Consult Executive Director explained that during the launch, the national programme would outline the modalities for the Change Paradigm Advocacy campaign for free cervical cancer vaccinations, advocacy, and scaling up prevention, detection, and treatment to eliminate cervical cancer in Ghana.

World Cervical Cancer Awareness Month is a global healthcare event observed for the entire month of January every year. Its aim is to raise awareness of cervical cancer globally.

Various international and local groups have joined together to raise awareness of cervical cancer through multiple campaigns and activities to emphasise the importance of early cervical cancer diagnosis, treatment, and preventive recommendations.

This year, the Cervical Health Awareness Month theme is "Learn, Prevent, Screen,” to emphasise the necessity of educating people with knowledge about minimising cervical cancer risks and the life-saving importance of regular screenings.