(August 02, 2011, ADDIS ABABA)-- The 1st Global Summit on Women's Cancers in Africa aimed at creating opportunities to gather thoughts on available tools, identify steps and new ways to garner political, technical and financial support for prevention and control was opened at the UNECA conference centre here yesterday.
Opening the two-day summit with the theme: “Towards the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Non- Communicable Diseases: Prioritization of women Cancer on the Global Health Agenda,” Breast Cancer Foundation Founder and Executive Director Princess Nikky Onyeri said:“Your presence here is a clear indication that you understood the importance and urgency of the summit.
Princess Nikky, who is also summit president, said: “We are all aware that women's cancers cause high morbidity and mortality in developing countries and more particularly in Africa.
She further said that breast and cervical cancers affect women in the prime of their life while they are raising children, caring for their family and contributing to the economic life of their communities. Breast and cervical cancers have become not only the issue of public health problem but also a significant threat to the fragile Socio-economic developments of African countries, Princess Nikky said.
The upcoming United Nations High Level Meeting on Non – Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control to be held September 19-20, 2011 in New York, offers a unique opportunity that we cannot and must not miss to speak one voice about the issue of women's cancers in Africa and increase the likelihood of significant support for prevention and treatment programmes and could virtually eliminate these diseases.
First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, on her part said that cancer is the world's worst public health problem. She also said that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide killing a woman every two minutes.
“Today, as goodwill ambassador of cancer control of prevention for Nigeria, we are resolutely committed to empowering and educating our women on the need to have regular cancer screening in order to detect cancer at the early stage when treatment be effective,” she said.
You understood that we cannot miss the opportunity to put breast and cervical cancers on the global health agenda at the forthcoming UN high-level meeting.”
Princess Nikky, who is also summit president, said: “We are all aware that women's cancers cause high morbidity and mortality in developing countries and more particularly in Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 90 per cent of the 275,000 women who died from cervical cancer in 2008 lived in developing countries. The irony of this is that it is highly preventable through vaccination against the human papillomavirus which causes the majority of the disease.”
She further said that breast and cervical cancers affect women in the prime of their life while they are raising children, caring for their family and contributing to the economic life of their communities. Breast and cervical cancers have become not only the issue of public health problem but also a significant threat to the fragile Socio-economic developments of African countries, Princess Nikky said.
The upcoming United Nations High Level Meeting on Non – Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control to be held September 19-20, 2011 in New York, offers a unique opportunity that we cannot and must not miss to speak one voice about the issue of women's cancers in Africa and increase the likelihood of significant support for prevention and treatment programmes and could virtually eliminate these diseases.
First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, on her part said that cancer is the world's worst public health problem. She also said that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide killing a woman every two minutes.
“Today, as goodwill ambassador of cancer control of prevention for Nigeria, we are resolutely committed to empowering and educating our women on the need to have regular cancer screening in order to detect cancer at the early stage when treatment be effective,” she said.
Source: Ethiopian Press Agency
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