New initiative on FGS | From Neglect to Action: Invest in Women, Invest in Health
On the 14th of October, Germany's Development Minister, Svenja Schulze, launched a new initiative ‘From Neglect to Action: Invest in Women, Invest in Health’ together with Khumbize Chiponda, Malawian Minister of Health, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, and Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, at the World Health Summit in Berlin.
Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a hidden disease affecting millions of girls and women in Africa with limited access to safe, clean water. The disease is a manifestation of schistosomiasis, caused by parasites in contaminated water, which is easily treatable and preventable. However FGS is often unrecognised and misdiagnosed as a sexually transmitted infection. This means many women and girls with FGS are being given the wrong treatment for their condition and can also experience stigma and isolation.
If left untreated, female genital schistosomiasis can have serious long-term consequences, including chronic inflammation, miscarriage, infertility and an increased risk of AIDS. For the women and girls affected, it often represents an additional hurdle to actively participating in education and the labour market.
This new initiative looks to ensure the diagnosis and treatment of FGS is incorporated into sexual and reproductive health services, whilst raising awareness and mobilising resources for fighting this disease, to ensure that more women and girls can enjoy equal participation in society and lead healthy lives. The pilot country for the initiative is Malawi.
"Every woman has the right to control her own body. However, there are still far too many women in the world who are denied this right. This may be because they suffer from an undiagnosed and untreated disease that renders them infertile. Women are more likely than men to suffer from such neglected diseases. This is also because diseases that tend to affect women more often are neglected more. This is an injustice that affects millions of women. Together with many partners, we are therefore launching an initiative today to promote the health of women and girls.’
Development Minister Svenja Schulze
Watch the keynote session
Watch the keynote on the 14th of October at the World Health Summit "Investing in Women's Health: Driving Global Development".
In the session "Leave no one behind" starting at 33.56mins Female Genital Schistosomiasis takes centre stage as Minister Svenja Schulze, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Minister of Health Malawi announce the initiative "From Neglect to Action: Invest in Women, Invest in Health", and Dr. Atul Gawande, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) discuss the need to provide comprehensive and holistic sexual and reproductive health and rights to women and girls.
Be sure to watch FIG partner Dr Victoria Gamba at 54mins, highlight why we need to integrate FGS into women's health services, and how she gets the whole room to practice saying "Female Genital Schistosomiasis", concluding by asking "are we going to end it?" and getting a resounding "Yes!"