OREANDA-NEWS. “Cancer in Africa is very much a women’s issue,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in Nairobi on Saturday.

In three separate speaking engagements at the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which was held in Africa for the first time, he highlighted the work of the IAEA in making nuclear technology available for development.

Mr Amano focused in particular on cancer, noting that breast and cervical cancer are an important focus of IAEA technical cooperation in many African countries.

TICAD is an initiative launched by the Japanese government in 1993 to bring the world’s attention to Africa’s development needs and promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners. This year, for the first time, health was one of the main themes.

At a seminar for First Ladies entitled Investing in Maternal and Child Health for Social Transformation in Africa, Mr Amano highlighted the IAEA’s work in a wide range of areas related to the health of mothers and children. IAEA activities include making nuclear techniques available to help determine whether breast-fed babies are getting enough nutrients and to assess the Vitamin A status of young children. He also explained the IAEA’s role in the fight against the Ebola and Zika epidemics.

Mr Amano said he had made cancer control in developing countries a priority for the IAEA. The fact that millions of cancer patients in developing countries died of conditions that could be treatable if adequate cancer care was available was a human tragedy. It was important for world leaders to understand the scale of the problem.

The IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) helps countries to devise comprehensive cancer control programmes. The Agency’s work covers cancer diagnosis and treatment and involves helping countries to use nuclear medicine and radiotherapy effectively.

“Safety is crucially important when nuclear and radioactive materials are being used”, Mr Amano said, stressing that cancer patients must receive correct doses of radiation. The IAEA has a special dosimetry laboratory to help countries ensure that radiotherapy equipment is correctly calibrated.

Tangible progress had been made in cancer care in many African countries in recent years, Mr Amano said.

“New specialist cancer centres have been established. Radiation oncologists and medical physicists are returning home after receiving intensive training abroad with the support of the Agency,” he added. However, the needs remain great.

Mr Amano said development banks and other funding organisations were not always aware of the seriousness of the cancer problem in Africa.

“I know that you are raising your voices,” he told his African listeners. “But if cancer is a major priority for your country, please make sure that all of your international partners keep getting the message.” He pledged to do his part in raising awareness and said the Agency would continue to provide concrete assistance to developing countries.

Cancer control in Africa generally, and in Kenya in particular, was one of the main topics which the IAEA Director General discussed in meetings with the First Lady of Kenya Margaret Kenyatta on Friday and with the country’s Deputy President, William Ruto, on Sunday.