On the occasion of the World Cancer Day, the Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, called on Saturday in a statement issued in Nairobi, sub-Saharan African countries to deploy the necessary means to control the rising number of deaths due to cancer.
In this context, the WHO representative called for targeted interventions, timely diagnosis and treatment.
Matshidiso Moeti added that cancer worsens with poverty and inequality and the fight against this disease requires an upgrade of the health infrastructure in Africa.
The health situation in Africa is alarming. Indeed, the statement said that 1.1 million new cancer cases and about 700,000 deaths occur each year in Africa. These figures undermine efforts to improve life expectancy on the continent, as data estimates suggest that cancer mortality could reach 1 million deaths per year by 2030.
According to the WHO, the most common type of cancer in adults is cervical cancer for women and prostate, colorectal and liver cancer for men.
Nevertheless, Ms Moeti praised the progress made by African countries in the fight against cancer and congratulated the 16 African countries that have put in place high-performance cancer screening tests in line with WHO recommendations.
Jihan Rmili