IMA World Health’s webpage on NCDs
2022
Non-communicable diseases like cancer kill nearly 30 million people in developing countries each year. Developing countries endure nearly three-quarters of deaths from non-communicable diseases, largely because resources like testing and treatment are not available. With its long history of work in Tanzania, IMA works with rural communities to broaden the reach of testing services, and to help communities secure drugs for treatment that can be hard for a developing country to source. Two highly-treatable forms of cancer are our focus: Burkitt’s Lymphoma and cervical cancer. Burkitt’s Lymphoma is a childhood cancer most commonly found in areas with high concentrations of malaria, and it affects approximately 700 children in Tanzania each year. Though it is aggressive and advances quickly, BL is highly treatable if diagnosed and treated promptly. IMA helps increase access to cervical cancer prevention, screening and treatment in high-prevalence areas. Tanzania hosts one of the world’s highest cervical cancer burdens: Nine times higher than in North America.