Training of health staff in VIA, HPV detection test and cryotherapy

Overview

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide and causes a significant number of deaths in the South-East Asia Region. Nearly 200 000 new cases of cervical cancer occurred in SEA Region Member States in 2008, giving an incidence of almost 25 per 100 000 and a mortality rate of almost 14 per 100 000. Cervical cancer can be prevented by early screening and vaccination. However, due to poor access to screening and treatment services, the vast majority of these deaths occur in women from nine Member States of the South-East Asia Region which account for more than one third of the global burden of cervical cancer.

In 2015, the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, in consultation with Member States, launched a Strategic Framework for the Comprehensive Control of Cervical Cancer in the South-East Asia Region. To strengthen the capacity of health-care providers, a training package has been developed based on the emerging scientific evidence related to new technologies and novel paradigms in cervical cancer screening and to the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.