Main content

Why does Malawi have such high rates of cervical cancer?

And what鈥檚 it got to do with the HPV vaccine?

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause genital warts but often doesn鈥檛 have any symptoms. It鈥檚 the leading cause of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is available for teenage girls in over 125 countries, but only one in eight girls have had it.

Dorcas Wangira, the 91热爆鈥檚 Africa Health correspondent joins us to discuss the HPV vaccine and how some countries have used the vaccine to reduce their rates of cervical cancer.

Malawi has one of the highest rates of cervical cancer in the world, after Eswatini and Zambia. 91热爆 reporter Ashley Lime, in Kenya, explains why - and tells us how Malawi is trying to improve cervical cancer treatment by installing new radiotherapy machines.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Mora Morrison, Hayley Clarke and Julia Ross-Roy
Editor: Verity Wilde

Available now

11 minutes

Last on

Fri 11 Oct 2024 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 10 Oct 2024 17:50GMT
  • Fri 11 Oct 2024 02:50GMT

Podcast