The Chair of Epidemiology headed by Professor Dr. Stefanie Klug, in cooperation with the Centre for Global Health, the Neurology Department of the TUM Faculty of Medicine headed by Professor Dr. Dr. Andrea Winkler and the School of Public Health at the TUM partner university, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science (KNUST) in Ghana, directed by Dr. John Amuasi und Dr. Edward Dassah, organised a two-day long workshop in Kumasi/Ghana. The main topics were the prevention of cervical cancer in Ghana using screening programmes and vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) (“Women's Health and Cervical Cancer Prevention in Ghana”). The workshop was sponsored by the TUM Global Incentive Fund.
The potential for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer is limited in Ghana. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer-related cause of death among Ghanaian women. Midwives, nurses, and gynaecologists, as well as clinicians, epidemiologists, politicians, employees of the Ghanaian Ministry of Health and KNUST students were invited to participate in the workshop.
The objective of the meeting was to assess the current situation as well as ongoing research projects to address issues related to improving the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in Ghana. The workshop also discussed the challenges and opportunities with regard to the general availability and affordability of HPV vaccination and screening. Long-term plans to improve collaboration on the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in Ghana are currently underway.
Prof. Klug gave a lecture to KNUST Masters students at the School of Public Health on “Global Cancer with a focus on cervical cancer” as part of the workshop. “In my lecture, one of the topics I discussed was the prevention of cervical cancer using vaccinations against HPV,” said Prof. Klug. “I also discussed the relationship between cancer and lifestyle factors.” Meanwhile, Prof. Winkler from the Faculty of Medicine spoke about “Milestones of Global Health”. Plans for the future also include exchanges of lecturers and students between students of the Health Science Master's programme at TUM and the Public Health Master's programme at KNUST.
During the one-week stay in Ghana, the delegation from Germany, which included Prof. Dr. Marion Kiechle, Director of the Women's Clinic at the Klinikum rechts der Isar, the surgeon Prof. Dr. Matthias Richter-Turtur as well as Dr. Reiner Ullrich from Charité Berlin, expert for Global Health Policy, visited, among others, the Kumasi South Hospital as well as the Catholic Hospital in Battor to gain valuable insight into their screening facilities for the early detection of cervical cancer. “At these hospitals, between three and ten women per day can be routinely examined for cervical cancer,” explains Prof. Klug. “It was very interesting to see how screening is performed in Ghanaian clinics.”
To the homepage of the Chair of Epidemiology
To the homepage of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science (KNUST)
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Klug
Chair of Epidemiology
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 56
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24950
e-mail: stefanie.klug(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos: Sandra Weinmann/Prof. Dr. Dr. Andrea Winkler/Chair of Epidemiology