Latin America and the Caribbean Record Every Year a High Number of Cervical Cancer Deaths

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Washington, DC, February 1, CMC – According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), more than 56,000 women in Latin America and the Caribbean have been diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 28,000 are dying every year.

OPS said it was striving to accelerate prevention and control efforts to create a future without cervical cancer, which is the third most common cancer among people living with HIV / AIDS. women in Latin America and the Caribbean, but can be avoided.

"It is unacceptable that women are dying today of a disease that can be largely prevented," said Silvana Luciani, head of PAHO's Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, on the occasion of World Food Day. cancer, February 4th.

According to the report, the high number of cancer patients in Latin America and the Caribbean would reach 72,000 diagnoses and 34,000 deaths when the United States and Canada are included. However, there are prevention and treatment tools to save lives.

Cervical cancer can be prevented by vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). Vaccines that protect against the common types of HPV that cause cancer have been available for more than a decade. PAHO recommends administering this vaccine to girls aged 9 to 14 years.

In addition to vaccination, screening and treatment of precancerous lesions can prevent new cases and deaths. Over time, cervical cancer can be eliminated as a public health problem, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

The HPV vaccine is available in 35 countries and territories in the Americas region.

However, the OPS notes that in most countries, the vaccination coverage rate with the two recommended doses remains below the goal of at least 80% of girls.

In addition, access to screening and treatment services for precancerous lesions is insufficient and screening coverage rates are lower than the goal of at least 70% of women aged 30-49. years. It is estimated that at least 32 million women are screened for cervical cancer in the region.

To raise public awareness about the disease, the PAHO launched last November the communication campaign entitled "It's time to stop cervical cancer".

Under the slogan "Do not get stuck with cervical cancer", this initiative provides information on HPV vaccines and invites women to undergo regular tests to detect precancerous lesions. The campaign responds to the plan to reduce new cervical cancer cases and deaths in the region by one-third by 2030, as agreed by the region's health ministers at the meeting. PAHO Governing Council in 2018.

"Governments should take urgent measures to ensure that all girls are vaccinated against HPV and that all women over 30 are examined and treated for precancerous lesions," said Luciani, adding that it would save lives thousands of women.

World Cancer Day, coordinated on February 4 each year by the Union for the Fight Against Cancer (UICC), is an opportunity to bring the world together in the fight against the epidemic of cancer in the world.

This year, 2019 marks the launch of the three-year campaign with the slogan "I Am and I Will," a call to action that empowers and demands a personal commitment to help reduce the impact of cancer.

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