{"id":789,"date":"2020-02-04T18:25:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T18:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalcommunities.org\/2020\/02\/04\/gaining-ground-on-cervical-cancer-in-zambia\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T10:16:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:16:39","slug":"gaining-ground-on-cervical-cancer-in-zambia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalcommunities.org\/blog\/gaining-ground-on-cervical-cancer-in-zambia\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaining Ground on Cervical Cancer in Zambia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timing is everything. Just ask Janny Zulu.<\/p>\n

The 52-year-old single mother of two recently found out she had a precancerous lesion on her cervix, putting her at great risk for cervical cancer. Still, fresh off the news of this diagnosis in January, she expressed gratitude for information she could act on, information once inaccessible to her and many other women in Zambia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very happy that I made the decision to go back for cervical cancer screening and, when found positive, I received treatment in time,\u201d said Zulu, who first learned about Project Concern International\u2019s mobile outreach services five years ago.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

After her first screening in 2015 yielded negative results, Zulu followed the advice of the health care provider and returned for routine screening every couple of years. \u201cNone of my family had cervical cancer before, [but] I was aware of a very close friend who had passed away. I did not want to go through the same,\u201d said Zulu, who lives in a rural area of Lusaka, Zambia, far from the nearest medical center.<\/p>\n

While distance often hinders people like her from accessing health care services, PCI has partnered with the Zambian Defense Force (ZDF) to bring trained providers to mobile and static health sites. With support from the U.S. government\u2019s President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Department of Defense HIV Prevention Program (DHAPP), these services now include integrated\u00a0<\/span><\/span>HIV\/cervical cancer testing and screening<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe process is not painful at all,\u201d said Zulu, who has encouraged family members and friends to take the first step of undergoing a screening. \u201cI tell them they have nothing to lose but a lot to gain [from the service].\u201d Through PCI\u2019s program, women with precancerous lesions are provided or linked to treatment, and those who test positive for HIV are linked to antiretroviral therapy (ART) services, improving survival rates for two diseases with one intervention.<\/p>\n

This solution has inspired community change and identified new leaders, including 50-year-old Ezelina Phiri in Chipata district.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since I screened and learned that I am well, I have become an activist, referring women to the clinic for proper screening,\u201d Phiri said. \u201cIt is my passion to encourage women to put their health first, and it is my mission to ensure every woman I know is screened and is free of cervical cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2019, TogetHER for Health<\/a> wrote a case study about PCI\u2019s program, concluding: \u201cBy targeting the most vulnerable women, offering them services in a way that meets their needs, and giving low-level health care workers the tools and training to provide high-quality services, PCI is a key player in moving toward eventual cervical cancer elimination in Zambia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every two minutes, a woman dies of cervical cancer somewhere in the world, and Zambia has one of the highest cervical cancer rates of any nation. Yet, almost all of these tragedies are preventable, either through the HPV vaccine or through early screening and treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year alone, PCI reached nearly 8,000 women and adolescent girls with cervical cancer prevention, screening and\/or treatment. We are proud to support Zambia\u2019s strategy to reduce cervical cancer mortality by 25% by 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timing is everything. Just ask Janny Zulu. The 52-year-old single mother of two recently found out she had a precancerous lesion on her cervix, putting her at great risk for cervical cancer. 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