Provide names of other journalists involved.
The story was edited by Cancer Today Executive Editor, Jessica Gorman. Also, a side-bar on “Low-cost screening that works” was written by Suzanne Byan-Parker.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Winter 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This story reveals the ways in which cervical cancer, a disease that is considered highly preventable and frequently curable in the United States, threatens the lives of more than 1,800 Zambian women each year. Traveling to Lusaka, Zambia to investigate the obstacles to early detection and accessible treatment of cervical cancer in the Southern African nation, the author describes a collaborative program between US and Zambian physicians and laypersons to screen women in the context of existing resources and centuries-old traditions.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
A number of documents were consulted in the development of the story. Data was gathered from reports published by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control (in the US and Zambia), Zambia’s Ministry of Health, and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia. Documents from the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia, and the Cancer Diseases Hospital that is a part of this larger organization, were also used, as was material from the website for Breakthrough Cancer Trust Zambia. Studies reported in medical journals (e.g., Lancet) about low-cost screening options for cervical cancer were also incorporated into the article.
Explain types of human sources used.
In Zambia, interviews were conducted with the co-directors of the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia, nurses and educators located at the University Teaching Hospital, and survivors of cervical cancer. Amy Sikazwe, a breast cancer survivor who serves as the publicity director for Breakthrough Cancer Trust Zambia and who has helped to develop the women’s cancer ward located inside the maternity hospital also offered information and access to both medical personnel and Zambian women diagnosed with cervical cancer. Particularly challenging were the interviews conducted with survivors Cecilia Mumba and Joyce Musonda, women I met in the cancer ward while they were undergoing treatment for the disease. My exchanges with these women resulted in detailed medical histories of both as well as information about the social and economic barriers to care in their particular circumstances (and by extension, those faced by other Zambian women). In the US, I confirmed my findings about the effectiveness and limitations of the use of VIA for cervical cancer screen with Dr. Paul Blumenthal from Stanford University.
Results:
The program has continued to flourish and I have received communications from individuals in Zambia and the US with whom the story has resonated.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No corrections or clarifications to report.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
My advice to other journalists lies in Dr. Paul Blumenthal’s statement that “Good is never the enemy of the best.” So much media coverage of public health challenges focuses on one side of the coin–either the great successes of modern medical technologies or the devastating effects of inaccess to current knowledge. The story of how one global team is addressing cervical cancer among Zambian women illustrates the value of recognizing and reporting on the complexities of treating publics situated in different contexts. It’s an approach that is more honest, realistic, and ultimately, hopeful.