The Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has joined forces with the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) to mark International Papillomavirus Awareness Day
(International HPV Awareness Day 2024) in Ghana.

In 2018, the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) developed the
International HPV Awareness Day, which is marked annually on March 4, serves as an opportunity to educate people about human papillomavirus, its associated cancers, and prevention tips against the virus that have the tools to eliminate it.
 
Ophelia Ankrah, NCCE Eastern Regional Director, and Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director, CDA Consult, stressed in a joint statement issued at Koforidua on Monday that women’s cancers are highly prevalent, specifically breast and cervical cancer. 

Ophelia Ankrah noted the need for concerted efforts to educate the public on cervical cancer prevention and expressed concern that, even though cervical cancer is preventable, more than 266,000 women die of it each year.

She lamented that about 87 percent of these deaths happen in less developed countries, including Ghana.

The NCCE Eastern Regional Director, therefore, commended CDA Consult for embarking on and rallying stakeholders towards a relentless national advocacy campaign towards cervical cancer prevention in the country.

Mr. Ameyibor noted that the global community is on the verge of a cervical cancer crisis if nothing is done and urged the international community to support efforts to deal with the problem.

He explained that cervical cancer, adjudged the most common cancer, is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in developing countries, stressing that “it is unfortunate that public education on preventive methods is very low.”.

Mr. Ameyibor, who is a former Tema Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency, stressed the need for African governments, especially the government of Ghana, to bring the issue of cervical cancer prevention to the forefront of health policies.

He explained that CDA Consult has embarked on the Change Paradigm Advocacy for free cervical cancer vaccination and scaling up prevention, detection, and treatment towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Ghana.

He said the five projects are anchored on responsive communication as a weapon for attitudinal change, advocacy for mass voluntary vaccination, and encouragement for a healthy lifestyle.

It also seeks to achieve maximum impact by demystifying the myth surrounding cervical cancer vaccination, screening, and treatment.

“The CDA Consult Change Paradigm Advocacy also hinges around both primary prevention (focused on people who are non-reactive) as well as prevention, detection, and treatment in the country,” he noted.

He said the CDA Consult Free Cervical Cancer Change Paradigm Advocacy is also targeted towards mobilising funding investment in HPV vaccine programming in low- and lower-middle-income communities in Ghana.

Mr. Ameyibor said the relentless advocacy campaign also seeks to draw global attention to the slow pace of achieving the 2030 target and the need for scaling up the process.

The International HPV Awareness Day (IHAD) is a global observance that focuses on raising awareness about HPV, a group of related viruses that can lead to various types of cancer and other health concerns.  The day underscores the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment of HPV-related conditions, emphasising the role of vaccination in reducing the spread of the virus.