A call has been made by the Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, for women to put emphasis on Cervical Cancer screening this coming January, considering that thousands of lives continue to be lost as a result of delayed diagnosis and treatments that could save these lives.
In her speech as the Ministry of Health to mark the observation of National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Muthoni noted that the best way to prevent mortality from the disease remains early screening, as she considered it a public health concern in Kenya.
Cervical cancer is now the second most common malignancy among women in Kenya and the main cause of cancer-related mortality in the country. It is a malignancy that is largely preventable but still has a high toll.
According to GLOBOCAN 2022 statistics, estimated new cases for cervical cancer in Kenya stand at 5,845, while the estimated annual deaths due to cervical cancer amount to 3,591.
“Numbers remind me that cervical cancer is still causing too many deaths, and yet it is one of the most preventable forms of cancer,” Muthoni said. “This January, I would encourage women who are eligible for screening to go for screening. Early screening can be the difference between life and death.”
The main factor contributing to the large number of deaths, according to health authorities, is the low level of screening, associated with the stigma attached to the disease, whereby many women seek care only when the disease is in its advanced stages. The availability of diagnostic and treatment services, especially in rural settings, has hindered progress.
Muthoni highlighted that cervical cancer is largely a result of persistent infection with the high-risk genotypes of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), but added that alternate ways, which have proved to be preventive in nature, include vaccination against the virus, screening, and the early treatment of pre-cancerous lesions.
In Kenya, HPV vaccines are given to girls aged between 10 and 14 years, and cervical cancer screening is recommended for women between 25 and 49 years. Women past the age of 49 years are also screened.
“Screening is especially important because early cervical disease often does not give any symptoms,” she continued. “Women should not have to wait until they feel bad. Regular screenings give health professionals a chance to identify and correct precancerous changes before cancer occurs.”
The PS reiterated Kenya’s pledge to achieve the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer of the World Health Organisation, which targets not less than 90 percent of girls for vaccinations, not less than 70 percent of women aged 35 and 45 years screened, and not less than 90 percent of those tested treated.
Kenya’s plans and programs are based on the National Cancer Control Strategy (2023-2027), whose focus is placed on improving vaccination coverage, enhanced screening, and improved referrals and treatment. “Awareness months are not just about messaging, they are about action,” stated Muthoni. “If women come for screening and parents get their girls vaccinated with HPV, we will minimize the upcoming cases and save lives.”
