It is time for the whole world to take action in the fight against cervical cancer | Health

The COVID-19 epidemic has raised global awareness of the need for universal access to health care.

But we are well aware of another global health problem that, for many years, has been a staggering example of health injustice, and one of the leading causes of death for women worldwide – especially in Africa.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the world. In high-risk countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, 75 percent of 100,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, compared with less than 10 women in low-risk countries.

If current trends are not addressed, new cases of cervical cancer are expected to rise from 570,000, recorded in 2018, to 700,000 by 2030. The annual mortality rate is also expected to increase from 311,000 to 400,000. These alarming figures represent the problem of all people, not just women.

As with COVID-19, lawlessness is at the core of cervical cancer risk: The risk of domestic cancer is almost doubled in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries. About 90 percent of all cervical cancer deaths occur in developing and middle-income countries.

This tragedy is especially happening in Africa, reducing the hopes and lives of many girls and women. The impact of the disease on poor families and communities is critical, as the country progresses towards achieving the health and development goals set by the Sustainable Development Goals.

On the current day of the Global Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination, we join in calling for urgent action to ensure that vaccines, blood tests and drugs are available to all, so that no girl or woman, regardless of where they live, is of any age. the more they earn, the less likely they are to have life-saving weapons.

The gaps are clear and need to be filled quickly.

For example, 79 countries, especially low-income and middle-income countries, account for 6 out of 10 cases of all cervical cancer patients. But vaccines that protect against cervical cancer by preventing the spread of papillomavirus, which causes the virus, have not yet been developed in all of these countries. Instead, high-income countries, where cervical cancer is less common, have been able to introduce more vaccines and many of them have even started a vaccination campaign for young men.

These inequalities need to be addressed urgently.

The quest to eradicate cervical cancer is one that we are all committed to, and one is the goal of the WHO worldwide organization that adopted last year to eradicate cervical cancer in the lives of girls living today.

To achieve this, all countries must meet and maintain at least four cases per 100,000 women. Doing so requires action in three major areas by 2030.

We need to vaccinate 90 percent of all girls against papillomavirus before 15 years of age.

We must also provide adequate screening services so that 70 percent of women can get the best possible exam before the age of 35, and by the age of 45.

Finally, we must ensure that 90 percent of women with cancer before they can get the treatment they need and that 90 percent of women with malignant cancer receive the treatment they need to address their problem and pain.

We hope all of this is possible.

But, as with COVID-19, the action rests on the shoulders of those who make financial decisions and those who make weapons.

Here, we urge governments to take action by considering where they can spend their resources and provide the necessities for the survival of girls and women. As the plague has shown, good health is the key to good development.

As for the vaccine, disease, and treatment manufacturers, they need to make these devices cheaper and more available so that governments across Africa and beyond can take part in the fight against cervical cancer around the world.

Vaccines have been on sale for more than a decade, but rising prices have made it difficult for many who are seeking them. Therefore, adequate supplies should be available at a lower cost to vaccinate all 9- to 14-year-old girls to protect against cervical cancer with low and moderate incidence.

Their future is important.

To move forward, we need to prepare countries, fairly and equitably, to eradicate cervical cancer. Achieving this is no longer a dream. The power is in our hands to remove the veil and give our daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers everywhere the opportunity to have a better and better future.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Al Jazeera.