HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention for West Africa

While the global COVID-19 pandemic has taken up a large part of our focus these past few months, it is important to remember the high incidence rate of HPV in West Africa which can, and often does, lead to cervical cancer. With screening for cervical cancer at a minimum, the need to prevent HPV and reduce the overall incidence rate of both illnesses is high. A vaccine for COVID-19 may not yet be available, but a vaccine that protects women against the strains of HPV that most often lead to cervical cancer is widely available across the world, though not yet in Mali. Cervical cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women in Mali. More than half of those cancer cases are linked to strains of HPV that women can be vaccinated against. 

Vaccination aside, women in Mali do not always have access to the sort of comprehensive healthcare that we have here in the United States. Despite its high prevalence rate, women rarely receive cervical cancer screenings in Mali. Therefore, it is imperative to make the HPV vaccines more widely available and prevent cervical cancer. 

At GAIA Vaccine Foundation, we recognize the need for greater access to the HPV vaccine for younger women and girls, who have the greatest risk for contracting HPV which could ultimately lead to cervical cancer later in their lives. By increasing access to the HPV vaccine and HPV screening, GAIA VF can help pave the way to a lower cervical cancer incidence rate in Mali. 

Your donations can have a big impact: a $10 donation provides a cervical cancer screening for 1 woman; a $15 donation provides treatment for 1 woman with precancerous lesions; a $50 donation covers the cost of HPV vaccine doses for 10 adolescents.  Thank you for your support to GAIA VF and Hope Center Clinic!