Kenya's shot at ending cervical cancer is here

The HPV vaccine was a scientific breakthrough because it prevents the infection that starts the pathway to cancer. [iStockphoto]

Cervical cancer should not still be taking Kenyan women in their most productive years. Yet it does; quietly, painfully, and often too late. The tragedy is not only the loss, but also that cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers.

Kenya is estimated to record about 5,845 new cervical cancer cases and 3,591 deaths in a year (2023). These are not just statistics, they represent mothers, daughters, colleagues, and friends, and families forced into difficult financial and emotional decisions.