As the country joins the global community in marking four years of the global movement known as the Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action, the Department of Health has expressed confidence in the nation’s progress in combating cervical cancer.
Through expanded screening and testing initiatives, the country is making strides toward preventing cervical cancer as a public health challenge.
According to the department, the country has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer among women and faces a significant burden, with an estimated 13 800 new cases annually.
According to the World Health Organisation, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally with around 660 000 new cases and around 350 000 deaths in 2022.
“In South Africa, cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer in women. Though, cervical cancer can be cured if diagnosed at an early stage and treated promptly,” the department said.
Cervical Cancer Elimination Day of Action, observed annually on 17 November each year, marks a historic commitment made in 2020 by 194 countries, including South Africa, to eliminate cervical cancer. The campaign aligns with the launch of the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy to achieve this groundbreaking goal.
“The government has introduced a number of interventions to prevent cervical cancer amongst women, and these include the launch of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in 2014 to reduce the incidence of cancer of the cervix mainly targeting all girls in grade 5, aged 9 years and older in all public and special schools.
“So far, between 85% and 89% of targeted girls received one or more doses. Studies have shown that vaccination in late childhood/early adolescents is effective as strong immunity develops (before onset of sexual activity),” the department said.
The department highlighted that over this period more than 7.1 million doses have been administered, and more than 4 million girl learners protected.
“It is estimated that approximately 85% of girls 9 – 15 years in public schools and approximately 75% of all girls 9 – 15 years in South Africa have been vaccinated and are protected from developing cervical cancer. The programme has since been extended to private schools effective from this year in order to ensure no girls child is left behind, with or without medical aid,” the department said.
The success of the HPV vaccination programme in South Africa has been attributed to high level political commitment by the Ministries of Health and Basic Education including civil society, parents and school governing bodies, dedicated funding from the National Treasury.
This year’s commemoration focuses on healthcare workers for their commitment in the fight against cervical cancer which is encapsulated in the theme: “Elevating Frontline Health Workers: Transforming Global Commitments into Lifesaving Actions”.
It underscores the critical role that healthcare professionals play in enhancing awareness, screening, and treatment of cervical cancer.
“Healthcare workers (HCWs) are pivotal in implementing cervical cancer screening programs and educating communities about prevention. Their knowledge and attitudes significantly influence screening uptake among women. Studies have shown that inadequate knowledge and misconceptions among HCWs can lead to suboptimal care for cervical cancer patients, highlighting the necessity for continuous education and training,” the department said.
It is for this reason that the Department of Health, in collaboration with World Health Organisation, is rolling out capacity training for clinicians in provinces to improve their confidence in performing cervical cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment procedures.
“A total number of 405 299 girl learners (88.6% of the target population) received HPV vaccination during February/March 2024 round of HPV vaccination against cervical cancer. To date, 17 of the country’s 52 health districts have begun using HPV testing with more districts expected to start during the current financial year,” the department said.
While the country is making progress with HPV vaccination, the department noted that cervical screening and treatment are lagging behind.
Thus, the department has reminded parents and care givers to ensure that all eligible girls who missed HPV dose, should get catch-up doses offered in primary health facilities free of charge. – SAnews.gov.za
Watch a SA makes progress with HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer related video:
Stunning South Africa:
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Poisoned: An Investigation
Hightower
The Man who could only Drink Milk
I know an old man who had lived a life full of adventure, but his health started to catch up with him. He\’d run the Boston Marathon, was an avid surfer, and climbed Everest, but he\’d started to have abdominal pains around his 85th birthday and went to see a doctor. Sadly, he ultimately was diagnosed with a rare degenerative liver disease that slowly made him allergic to everything he ate.
He kept copious notes, and as an avid gastronomist slowly grew to despair as everything he\’d spent his life enjoying became something he could no longer eat. Alcohol went first, then mushrooms, then bread, then root vegetables, then coffee, one at a time he had to remove them from his diet. The doctor was clear: if he kept eating something his liver rejected the autoimmune response would be quick and severe, and would lead to a painful death. Little by little, everything was taken away as an option, until the only thing that remained was milk.
In some ways, this actually made life easier, because the mental strain of remembering what he could and couldn\’t eat was gone, but then so was the joy in variety. But he took it in stride, and got his own cow and took classes from a farmer to learn everything he could about the only thing that could give him sustenance. And even within milk, he could still have yogurt, butter, cream, some cheeses, and other milk-derived products he hadn\’t fully rejected yet, so it wasn\’t all bad. But then one day a few months later he felt the pain again, and he knew cow\’s milk was no longer an option.
Lacking other options, he tried goat\’s milk, and he was delighted that it worked! The protein structure is just different enough that his body still tolerated it. That bought him another month. And that\’s when we came up with a wonderful plan to go on one last grand adventure around the world. If he could get one month of life out of the milk of every mammal, he\’d actually have a few more years to enjoy life to the fullest and see the world in all its beauty. Each month, we\’d pick a place with a new mammal, and he would immerse himself fully with the locals, learn all the ways to prepare the milk, and just enjoy the hand he had been dealt as much as he could.
We milked sheep in New Zealand. Camels in Egypt. Zebras in South Africa. Giant bats in Indonesia. Do you know how many Peruvian cuy you need to milk to get a single glass? I do. Even as his health slowly faded, he stayed cheerful, and I felt lucky to join him on the adventure of a lifetime. That brings us to today when he got to the very end of his spreadsheet, and declared that he was now allergic to every mammal. He\’d enjoyed his journey, but his time had come to an end, for there was nothing left to milk.
To which I said nonsense, I bet we can milk a few thousand karma out of this post.
Danger Menace
Qatar: You have two cows. They each have a maid.