By Jennifer Bentzel | Fundraising Officer
Thank you so much for all your past support. This will be the final report for IMA World Health’s Combating Cervical Cancer in Tanzania project on Global Giving. IMA will continue this program and continue to raise funds for our cervical cancer prevention and treatment program through our website.
IMA World Health has been implementing cervical cancer prevention and control programs in the Mara Region of northwestern Tanzania since 2011. IMA has screened nearly 5,000 women between 30-40 years of age and treated over 300 women.
The main cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sexual intercourse. It can be prevented by either primary prevention, through abstinence and HPV vaccination, or secondary prevention by way of screening and treating pre-cancerous lesions. This problem is compounded by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania. Being HIV positive increases the risk of developing cervical cancer by at least 50%, as well as contributes to an earlier onset of the disease by 10 years (1).
Tanzania has one of the highest cervical cancer burdens in the world, with incidence of 50.9 cases per 100,000 women (2). This burden is 50% higher than the East African average and nine times higher than Europe and North America. However, if pre-cancerous lesions are detected and treated early, cervical cancer is almost 100% curable.
IMA selected implementation for the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control program in the Mara Region of Tanzania because it is among regions where HIV prevalence has increased from 3.5% in 2003/04 to 7.7% in 2007/08 (3). IMA has been working in the Mara region for the last 10 years and has a strong working relationship with the health leadership.
To overcome the access barrier IMA has engaged in outreach activities providing cervical cancer screening and treatment at the community level in the Tarime, Rorya and Musoma districts. IMA also collaborates with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) in the development of national IEC materials to raise community awareness of the importance of cervical cancer screenings and early treatment. In addition, IMA has increased capacity building efforts to include training of health care workers (21) and procurement of necessary equipment for screening and treatment. IMA has also developed a cancer database to capture data of all women screened and treated for cervical cancer at the health facilities.
IMA is implementing the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control program by providing appropriate and quality cervical cancer care and treatment services to include screening and treating pre-cancerous lesions. In addition, IMA is working with hospitals to build community awareness of cervical cancer risks and successes in treatment to promote screening and treatment uptake and demand for these services.
Thank you for all your past support. We could not provide the services we have provided over the past few years without your support. You have truly made a difference in the lives of women in need of cervical cancer screening and treatment.
If you would like to continue to follow or support our work on cervical cancer please visit our website and our Facebook page (links found below).
If you would like to continue to support an IMA World Health project through Global Giving please check out our Safe Motherhood Kit project.
Again, thank you for all your past support!
1 Kehesa C, Mwaiselage J, Wabinga HR, et al 2008. “Association between cancer of the cervix and HIV-1 infection in Tanzania: the need for dual screening” BMC Public Health, 8:262
2 World Health Organization. Tanzania: Human Papillomavirus and Related Cancers, Fact Sheet 2010. http://apps.who.int/hpvcentre/statistics
3 Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey. Government of Tanzania. 2007-08
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By April McCoy | Program Officer
