Accelerate efforts to eliminate cervical cancer: WHO

World Health Organisation (WHO) urged countries in its South-East Asia Region to accelerate efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.
“Countries need to expand vaccination, screening, detection and treatment services for everyone, everywhere to address the growing problem of cervical cancer,” said regional director of WHO South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, at the seventy second Session of WHO Regional Committee in Delhi today.
Cervical cancer is a significant public health problem in the region. In 2018, an estimated 158,000 new cases and 95,766 deaths were reported due to cervical cancer, which is the third most common type of cancer.
Addressing cancer risk factors and reducing its prevalence has been a regional flagship priority since 2014. All countries in the Region are taking measures for screening and treatment of pre-cancers. Four countries in the Region – Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand – have introduced HPV vaccine nationally. “We need to scale up both our capacities and quality for screening, treatment services and palliative care,” the regional director said.
Vaccination against human papillomavirus, screening and treatment of pre-cancer, early detection, and prompt treatment of early invasive cancers and palliative care are proven effective strategies to address cervical cancer.
Member countries are working towards interim global targets – of achieving 90 per cent girls fully vaccinated with the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine by 15 years of age; 70 per cent women screened with a high-precision test at 35 and 45 years of age, and 90 per cent women identified with the cervical disease receive treatment and care by 2030.
The regional director said there is need to strengthen national cervical cancer control plans, including appropriate strategies and guidelines for immunisation, screening, treatment and care, including palliative care. “It is necessary to include these services in the essential services packages towards universal health coverage to meet the targets,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said.
WHO is prioritising cervical cancer elimination as worldwide cervical cancer remains one of the gravest threats to women’s lives.

Health Ministers of WHO South-East Asia Region to discuss key challenges next week

Health Ministers of member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region are meeting next week to discuss ways of addressing health impact of climate change, the high burden of tuberculosis and strengthening capacities for emergency risk management.
Elimination of measles, a childhood killer disease; cervical cancer and other non-communicable diseases; and strengthening health services and workforce for universal health coverage are other key issues that will be taken up at the seventy-second Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia from September 2 to September 6.
India’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan, Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Upendra Yadav, and Regional Director at the WHO South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, will be addressing the inaugural session of the Regional Committee, the governing body of WHO in the region. Health ministers and senior officials from all 11 member countries and senior WHO officials will be attending the week-long deliberations.
This is the first Regional Committee Session after unanimous re-election of Dr Khetrapal Singh as Regional Director for a second five-year term. Dr Khetrapal Singh, whose first term was marked by unprecedented public health achievements and progress in the region, would be further firming up regional goals and targets along with member countries for the next five years.
The regional director’s vision for the next five years is to sustain progress, accelerate efforts and innovate to achieve the targets of priority health programmes.
The region has eight flagship priority programmes – measles elimination and rubella control; preventing non-communicable diseases; reducing maternal, under-five and neonatal mortality; universal health coverage with a focus on human resources for health and essential medicines; combating antimicrobial resistance; scaling up capacities for emergency risk management; eliminating neglected tropical diseases and accelerating efforts to end TB.
The regional priorities are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO’s global triple billion - one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage (UHC); one billion more people better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.
Home to over one-fourth of the global population, WHO South-East Asia Region has made remarkable progress in several priority programmes in the last five years. In 2014 the region was certified polio-free. In 2015 Maldives and was certified malaria-free. Sri Lanka soon achieved the same. In 2016 the region became the second WHO region to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. In the same year Thailand became the first country in Asia – and the first globally with a large HIV epidemic – to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Maldives achieved the same in 2019.
Bhutan, Maldives, DPR Korea, Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka have eliminated measles. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste have controlled rubella. Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand have eliminated lymphatic filariasis. India is yaws-free; Nepal has eliminated trachoma. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand have controlled Hepatitis B.
Between 1990 and 2015 maternal mortality ratio declined by 69 per cent, under-five mortality by 70 per cent. DPR Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand have already achieved global SDG targets for neonatal and under-5 mortality. Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand have done the same for maternal mortality. All countries in the region have multi-sectoral plans to address non-communicable diseases and are addressing antimicrobial resistance with ‘One Health’ approach.
In the region’s pursuit of universal health coverage, access to safe, good-quality medicine is being enhanced through the South-East Asia Regulatory Network, which was launched in November 2016. Investments in strengthening capacities for emergency risk management have resulted in better management of major health emergencies such as Nepal earthquake, the recurring events of cyclone, floods etc.