IPVC Sydney Oct 2-6, 2018

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The ETiCCS team presented their recent work in Ethiopia in several oral presentations and poster abstracts at the International Papillomavirus Conference at Sydney. Prof Tamrat Abebe Zeleke and Brhanu Teka from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, Addis University, who perfomed HPV testing for our studies, also attended the conference.

 

IPVC8-0684: GENITAL SELF-SAMPLING FOR HPV-BASED CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A COMMUNITY SELF-SAMPLING STUDY ASSISTED BY AN ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEM IN RURAL ETHIOPIA (Jede)

IPVC8-0438: CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING IN LMICS. A COMPARISON OF VIA AND HPV TEST PERFORMANCE TO DETECT P16INK4A/KI-67 DUAL-STAIN CYTOLOGY-POSITIVE TRANSFORMING HPV INFECTIONS (Solomon)

IPVC8-0540: GENITAL SELF-SAMPLING FOR HPV-BASED CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PREFERENCES AND BARRIERES IN RURAL ETHIOPIA (Brandt)

 

Tamrat, Hermann and Brhanu (LTR) at International Convention Centre, Sydney
B.Teka and H. Bussmann at T.Brand’s Poster

Gynecologists from Ethiopia visiting Wolfsburg clinic in Aug-Sept 2018

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As part of the GIZ-funded project to establish a colposcopy unit at the OBGYN department, University of Gondar, Ethiopia, Dr Mular Adefries, stayed for 4 weeks in Wolfsburg with Prof Petry and his team, to extend his knowledge and skills in colposcopy and modern techniques to treat precancerous and early cancer lesions of the cervix. At the same time Dr Mulat’ s colleague Dr Chernet received similar training at the MVK Fürstenfeld  with Prof A. Schneider. Wolfsburg Allgemeine Zeitung 25.10.2018

Prof Petry and Dr Mulat at Wolfsburg clinic
Dr Chernet with doctoral student T.Brandt in Berlin

Sept 10-15 2018. Professor von Knebel-Doeberitz visits our partners at Gondar university.

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Between Sept 10-15 2018 Professor von Knebel met the team of the department of gynecology and the Institute of Public Health of the University of Gondar. He visited the newly emerging gyn-oncology unit, spent a day in a rural community, where the ETiCCS team jointly with the Institute of Public Health has a conducted  this year a cervical cancer screening campaign and visited the new Amhara Public Health Laboratory at Bahirdar, where HPV testing will be set up. Prof von Knebel was particularly touched by the true hospitality and modesty he met at all levels amidst huge challenges and needs.

Prof von Knebel Doeberitz with field coordinator Mr Masresha Baye
Prof. von Knebel Doeberitz, Dr(s) Mulat , Getachew and Bussmann at the Gondar university outpatient department

May 18, 2018. Dr Bernhard Haufiku, Namibia’s Minister of Health and Social Services, visits the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg

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On May 18, 2018 Dr Haufiku and Mr Axel Tibinyane met with Prof M. Pawlita, Head of Division of Molecular Diagnostics of Oncogenic Infections, and H Bussmann, Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Biology, to share their mutual interests in HPV-based screening and explore opportunites for collaboration.

M-Pawlita, B. Haufiku,H Bussmann and A.Tibinyane at DKFZ, Heidelberg

May 19, 2018. Dr Tedros, WHO Director-General, launches call to action to eliminate cervical cancer at Geneva meeting

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At the occasion of the 3rd Geneva Round Table ‘Cervical Cancer: An NCD We Can Overcome‘ on May 19, 2018 Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for all countries to take action to help end the suffering caused by cervical cancer. Accompanied by Dr Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and Dr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Tedros reminded us of the terrible toll taken by cervical cancer which he recognized as one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer. With all tools for elimination now available, he called for a coordinated action to globally eliminate cervical cancer.

Dr Tedros and Dr Bachelet at Geneva Round Table

Mar 4-6, 2018. ETiCCS network meeting with WAKA HPV

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On Mar 4-6, 2018 H. Bussmann met with John-Paul Bogerts, Jo Lissens and Jean-Pierre Van geertruyden at Antwerp to plan the future collaboration. During the vist Dr Omenge from Eldoret, Kenya, registered as PhD candidate at the University and together we visited the Algemeen Medisch Laboratorium (AML) where Davy Vanden Broeck presented different HPV testing platforms.

Visit at AML, Antwerp. Dr O. Orang’o, HnBussmann, D. Vanden Broeck and JP Bogers (RTL)
Dr O.Orang’o discussing his PhD thesis at University of Antwerp

Community mobilization for Cervical Cancer screening campaign

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November 26, 2017 by Felix Jede

In preparation of the cervical cancer screening campaign the community of Chila was engaged by mobilizing and educating the local health care workers including the health extension workers of the health post and the Health Development Army Leaders of each ward. The campaign was officially announced by the health officials of the Amharic Health bureau and the village administration. Community sensitization included educational talks at local church meetings.

 

Cancer awareness for the health development army leaders

The field team

Official announcement of the campaign by Dr. Molla

 

 

Training of data collectors for HPV self-sampling campaign in Dabat, Ethiopia

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November 22, 2017 by Felix Jede

Between 4-10 November 2017 Theresa Brandt, Felix Jede and Hermann Bussmann conducted in Dabat, Ethiopia a 7-day training workshop for field worker in the use of self-sampling for HPV-based cervical cancer screening.

The aim of the workshop was to equip a team of field worker with the competence in raising cancer awareness, facilitating self-collection of an HPV sample using the Evalyn brush® and capturing the necessary screening data on electronic tablet devices. The skills were subsequently applied during a community-wide cervical cancer campaign in the Dabat district.

 

Theresa Brandt is explaining the data collectors how to use the tablets

Solomon Berhe is teaching about cervical cancer

Theresa Brandt and Felix Jede are presenting the rucksack and content for the data collectors

 

Eurogin Conference 8th-11th October 2017

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October 13, 2017 by Felix Jede

The ETiCCS initiative was represented at the EUROGIN Conference 8-11 October 2017 held in Amsterdam by three oral presentations and one poster.

Dr. Omenge from Moi University Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya offered a firsthand perspective of the shortcomings of current screening methods in the fight against cervical cancer and sparked a lively discussion about what should be the way forward. Based on the preliminary results of his study where he compared HPV DNA testing with VIA and the biomarker p16/Ki-67 he argued for a shift from VIA to HPV DNA testing in the future in his setting.

Felix Jede from Heidelberg University presented the newly developed digital data system developed by the ETiCCS team for community-wide cervical cancer screening in remote settings. The app-based system provides a new interactive communication between all stakeholders involved, including data collectors, nurses, gynecologists, pathologists, lab technicians and the study leaders. It is currently used in a rural district of Ethiopia.

Dr Solomon Berhe Wubneh presented the findings of a clinic-based study estimating the burden of HPV infection and the genotype distribution among women living in rural and periurban settings in the Gondar region of Ethiopia.


Dr Hermann Bussmann presented the vision and aims of the ETiCCS initiative and summarized the latest achievements. He reminded of the need to find solutions to increase access to cervical cancer screening, pointed out how new technologies could be harnessed and emphasized the importance of building alliances with local partners, industry and science.

Round table discussion on cervical cancer during 70th world health assembly in Geneva

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June 11, 2017 by Hermann Bussmann

On 21 May 2017 H Bussmann from EtiCCS and JP Bogers from WACA HPV participated at the Round Table discussion on cervical cancer ‘ An NCD that we can overcome’ offered to African ministers and permanent secretaries of health and their delegations as a side event to the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. This was an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences, achievements and challenges. The success of the meeting was reflected in the highly interactive discussion which is highlighted in the meeting report.

 

Here the link to the report as pdf: An NCD that we can overcome 2017!