Jhpiego honors women around the world on International Women's Day
08 March 2007
Statement from Jhpiego President and CEO Dr. Leslie Mancuso:
Baltimore, Maryland—International Women's Day
provides the opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing women in developing countries.
Protecting the health of mothers in low-resource settings is one of the world’s greatest challenges.
As an international health affiliate of The Johns Hopkins University, Jhpiego works
in more than 50 developing countries to prevent and treat the conditions causing the vast majority
of maternal deaths. While the HIV/AIDS pandemic rages on across Africa and Asia, diseases receiving
less attention, such as malaria and cervical cancer, are killing women in staggering numbers. On
International Women’s Day, we simply cannot ignore the statistics.
Cervical cancer, while largely controlled in developed countries, is the second
most common cancer in women worldwide, with 500,000 new cases and 250,000 deaths reported each year.
More than 80% of cases occur in developing countries, where more than 95% of women have never had
a Pap test. Tragically, this disease often affects women in the prime of life—leaving behind
young children and families who will struggle economically in the absence of the mother. Jhpiego, a global leader in the fight against cervical cancer, has developed a
method to diagnose and treat pre-cancerous lesions in one visit—known as the
"single visit approach." For women without ready access to health care facilities, this innovative
approach has the promise of saving countless, vulnerable lives.
The incidence of malaria in Africa is alarming and the statistics may surprise
those who considered this deadly disease a thing of the past. Nearly 500 million cases of
malaria are reported worldwide each year, with 90% of newly reported cases occurring in Africa.
One million Africans will die this year from malaria and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world hardest hit by malaria, malaria infection is
estimated to cause 400,000 cases of severe maternal anemia and from 75,000-200,000 infant deaths
annually. Maternal anemia contributes significantly to maternal mortality and causes an estimated
10,000 deaths per year. While the numbers seem overwhelming, Jhpiego, with the support of donors
such as the US Agency for International Development and the ExxonMobil Foundation, is working
diligently to reverse the trend by providing pregnant women with bed nets and medications to
prevent the disease, and prompt treatment if they contract malaria.
In my travels on behalf of Jhpiego, I have been privileged to visit with women in
the poorest regions of countries such as Afghanistan, Indonesia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia and
many others. I am continually inspired by their determination to overcome seemingly insurmountable
odds and provide a bright future for their families. I have also had the privilege of meeting with
women health professionals, nurses, midwives, physicians, and child healthcare workers who
deeply care about the future of women and families in their countries. It is my hope that on
International Women’s Day each of us will pause to consider the accomplishments and continued
struggles associated with the health of women across the globe.
Dr. Leslie Mancuso is available to discuss global women's health
and Jhpiego's programs. To learn more about Jhpiego, visit our Web site.
About Jhpiego
For nearly 40 years, Jhpiego, (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), has empowered front-line health
workers by designing and implementing simple, low-cost, hands-on solutions that
strengthen the delivery of health care services, following the
household-to-hospital continuum of care. We partner with community- to
national-level organizations to build sustainable, local capacity through
advocacy, policy and guidelines development, and quality and performance
improvement approaches.
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