Up to 93% of cervical cancers are preventable, yet the disease is the second largest killer of women in low and middle income countries after breast cancer, and this is something unacceptable; the First Lady of Rwanda, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame has said.

Mrs. Kagame made the remarks during the launch of the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, a campaign that has seen the world commit to eliminate this type of cancer.

The movement involves up to 194 countries that have collectively resolved to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem by among other things easing access of necessary tools for fighting the disease across the world.

Addressing the guests at the event that was held online, Mrs. Kagame reminded them about the available tools to fight the disease including current technology, policies and cost-effective measures for early diagnosis and treatment as a means of fighting the cancer and saving lives of women and girls across the world.

"With the knowledge and access at our disposal, we owe it to women and young girls to play an active role in accelerating the elimination of this cancer,” she said, although she cited some issues that warrant urgent attention in the fight, including the need for men to play a more critical role in reducing the incidence of cervical cancer.

"To this day, there is limited knowledge of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) among men which comes with a risk of undermining the progress made so far. This is especially true of cultural settings where women are still striving for their full sexual and reproductive rights,” she said.

"Hence male partners must be actively involved in the cervical cancer prevention process by increasing their awareness about the disease and its transmission, protecting their partners from HPV infections, but also to ensure that at a young age, boys, just like young girls are systematically vaccinated,” she added.

Rwanda is one of the countries in Africa that have made strides in the fight against cervical cancer. The country achieved over 93 per cent coverage of vaccination against cervical cancer, and in 2019, it signed a deal aimed at rolling out new technologies to improve accessibility to screening and diagnosis of the disease in various parts of the country.

According to the First Lady, "Rwanda’s case and success in creating awareness at the highest level as well as mobilizing communities to adopt appropriate health measures against this cancer is proof that the change and the progress we want is possible in every country.”

According to WHO, Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. In 2018, an estimated 570 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 311 000 women died from the disease.

Speaking at the launch of the Cervical Cancer elimination movement, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the Director-General of the World Health Organization highlighted that there is need for partnership among the countries of the world in fighting the disease,

"We know that while many countries have the resources and tools to prevent and control cervical cancer, there are marginalized communities with limited or no access to health services. It is our responsibility to continue to advocate for access to high quality health services for all regardless of where they live,” he said.

WHO says effective primary prevention (vaccination) and secondary prevention (screening, and treating precancerous lesions) will prevent most cervical cancer cases.

"When diagnosed, cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Cancers diagnosed in late stages can also be controlled with appropriate treatment and palliative care,” reads a statement from the WHO.