Malawi tops cervical cancer cases in Africa
The African Coalition on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health has found that Malawi is one of 10 African countries with the highest incidences and death from cancer of cervix.
The 2014 Africa Cervical Cancer Multi-Indicator Incidence and Mortality Scorecard—which was released at the 8th Africa Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer Conference in Namibia held last month—found that Malawi, with 75.9 incidences per 100 000 across 10 age groups, was only seconded by neighbours Mozambique at 65 per 100 000.
The scorecard, compiled by the Information and Analysis on Health, Population, Human and Social Development (or Afri-Dev), also found that the cumulative mortality risk of newborn girls in Malawi was at 5.20 of 100, meaning they were expected to die of cervical cancer.
The scorecard also indicated that 7.42 out of 100 newborn girls in Malawi were at a cumulative risk of having cervical cancer followed again by Mozambique at 6.57.
Afri-Dev coordinator Rotimi Sankore said in a press statement that cervical cancer was a manifestation of gender inequity in health across Africa as a result of multiple births, high fertility rates and poor access to family planning.
“Other risk factors include underage sex and adolescent pregnancy, which are also key features of forced and underage or child ‘marriage’, and in many instances sex between much older men and adolescent girls, which impact negatively on health of girl children,” Sankore said
Africa MNCH Coalition and Afri-Dev have since called for universal access to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine and cancer screening as one strategy to fight cervical cancer while fighting social practices that negate effective use of the vaccine.
In Malawi, the Ministry of Health has conducted an HPV demonstration project in Rumphi and Zomba and plans are underway to mobilise more resources to scale up to other districts.
In an interview, Ministry of Health spokesperson Henry Chimbali said providing a vaccine is a huge investment that requires constant availability of the vaccines and its supplies to maintain the appropriate coverage.
On cancer screening, Chimbali said all district hospitals are able to do so through pap smears at intervals which assist in detecting cervical cancer earlier with appropriate treatment and care provided.
