Accra, June 23, GNA - Ghana would host the Fourth "Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa" conference from July 25 - 27 to advocate for increased awareness on cervical cancer in Africa and reduce the stigma of people suffering from the disease.

The Princess Nikky Breast and Cervical Cancer Foundation, a Nigerian-based NGO is collaborating with Ghana to host the conference to help mobilise resources for development of policies, strategies and action to fight cervical cancer at national, regional and international levels. Over 500 participants to be drawn from African First Ladies, Ministers of Health, Members of Parliament, and health practitioners as well as survivors of cancer and other stakeholders would be attending. At a pre-conference press briefing in Accra, Health Minister Dr Benjamin Kunbuor said research by World Health Organisation (WHO), had revealed that cervical cancer had been the leading cause of cancers in women in Ghana with 18 per cent of death resulting from the disease. About 79,000 causes of global deaths due to cancer are diagnosed in Africa with 80 per cent death rate.

"Unfortunately, most of the cancers seen at our health facilities are advanced cases which could be cured if detected early. Management of these advanced cases is very expensive with poor prognosis," he added. Dr Kunbuor said prevention, early detection and treatment of the early stages of cervical cancer was very cost effective and had very good outcome therefore, it was necessary for women aged 35 and above to regularly undergo check-ups to avoid late detection and its accompanying stress. He said the significance of the conference to Ghana was that it would accelerate efforts at advocacy and awareness creation and enhance the country's effort of implementing a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention programme in the provision of a continuum of care. Dr Kunbuor noted that at the end of the conference, Ghana intended to intensify and undertake follow-up interventions in areas such as primary prevention, a health promotion and disease prevention strategies aim at reducing cervical cancer risk and promoting healthier lifestyles as well as early detection and treatment programme which also involved detecting the disease in its pre-cancerous stage before symptoms develop or spread to other parts of the body.

He said other interventions would also include rehabilitation and support, palliative care and cervical prevention, surveillance and research. Princess Nikky Onyeri, Founder, Princess Nikky Breast and Cervical Cancer Foundation said the conference would discuss documents on the burden of cervical cancer in Africa, societal barriers to cervical cancer prevention in Africa, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) immunology and cervical cancer, HIV cancer and cervical cancer in Africa and financing HPV vaccine in Africa.