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August 2009 CerviScope, one of 10 ready for shipment to practioners in resource-poor countries
July 2009 CerviScope with improvements modeled by summer 2009 intern Tiffany Wedlake, MD
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Qiagen, FHM's partner in cervical cancer testing
Goldman Sachs, FHM's source of funds for manufacture of CerviScopes
FHM's Dr. Merisier with a full-size colposcope in the Leogane Clinic
Volunteer Dr. Kris McCain of Nashville, TN, has provided followup treatment for women who test positive for HPV
Dr. Junior Duliepre, FHM's Ob/Gyn at the Blanchard Clinic
Jackie Ndirangu, FHM's research coordinator
Some of the women who have come for testing (below) 
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CerviScope Saves Lives in Low-Resource Countries
NEWS
CERVISCOPE BASICS
CERVICAL CANCER IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD AND IN HAITI
FHM'S CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM
THE CERVISCOPE'S DEVELOPMENT BY FHM
LIST OF PRACTITIONERS USING THE CERVISCOPE
FOR MORE INFORMATION
SPONSOR/PURCHASE A COLPOSCOPE
NEWS
CerviScope Grant Lowers Costs (14 December 2009)
A generous grant from Goldman Sachs will allow Family Health Ministries to lower the cost of their CerviScope, an innovative diagnostic tool designed especially for use in low resource settings for the prevention of cervical cancer. The incidence of cervical cancer in the developing world is projected to double by 2030 because so many communities lack access to screening. Goldman Sach’s gift will support a significant increase in screening by providing funds for more CerviScopes, including the one-time development of an injection molding process that will significantly cut manufacturing costs.
FHM especially wants to thank Guaravjit Singh, an investment banking analyst with Goldman Sachs in Singapore who worked on the CerviScope development team as a Duke University student, for pursuing this grant to help women and their families around the world.
CERVISCOPE BASICS
The CerviScope is an inexpensive, battery-powered portable colposcope developed by FHM for use in low resource settings where electricity and light either non-existent or unreliable.
The colposcope is a lighted magnifying instrument used by a gynecologist to examine the tissues of the vagina and the cervix. The procedure is called colposcopy.
Colposcopy is a medical diagnostic procedure to examine an illuminated, magnified view of the cervix and the tissues of the vagina and vulva. Many premalignant lesions and malignant lesions in these areas have discernible characteristics which can be detected through the examination.
The colposcope allows the colposcopist to visually distinguish normal from abnormal appearing tissue and take biopsies for further pathological examination. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent cervical cancer by detecting precancerous lesions early and treating them. The procedure was developed in 1925 by a German physician.
Full-size colposcopes used in the US cost between $10K and $20K, are heavy, require floor space and electricity. (see photo at left.)
CERVICAL CANCER IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD AND IN HAITI
In developing countries, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. There are about 510,000 cases reported each year, of which nearly 80% are from low-income countries (WHO, 2009). This disease causes a huge burden for women despite the fact that it is a preventable disease. Due to the difficulty and cost of providing screening and treatment in low-resource settings, many women in developing countries continue to die from cervical cancer (Soler, Gaffikin, & Blumenthal, 2000).
The cervical cancer mortality rate in Haiti ranks among the world´s highest, according to the The WHO/ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cervical Cancer. Furthermore, the incidence rate continues to rise at a rapid pace each year, underscoring the need for preventative measures and access to treatment. However, as the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti lacks the resources necessary for effective cervical cancer screening and treatment programs.
(from a paper prepared by Jackie Ndirangu, FHM's research coordinator, as part of her masters degree program in global health)
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer a curable disease in higher resource countries but one with devastating consequences for untreated women and their families.
FHM'S CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM
Family Health Ministries began working on cervical cancer prevention in 1993 when FHM's founder and board chairman, Dr. David Walmer, Ob/Gyn, first visited Haiti.
In the developed world, an HPV screen can cost between $30 and $50 US for the test alone, not including the office visit. Therefore, FHM needed access to a lower cost assay. In Fall, 2007, FHM was privileged to begin working with the Qiagen corporation to help develop the careHPVtest that, when it is approved, will be available at very low cost.
FHM has screened over 6400 women (updated 14 December 2009) for HPV in Leogane since Fall 2007, and began screening women in Port-au-Prince, in Cite Soleil and at FHM's Blanchard Clinic in June 2009. This testing was made available through a grant from Qiagen. Five hundred more women will be tested by 31 December 2009.
About 18% of the women test positive for HPV. Followup, including colposcopy, cryogenic treatment and hysterectomies are all being provided by Dr. Delson Merisier, FHM's OB/GYN in Leogane, volunteer Dr. Kris McKain, Ob/Gyn of Nashville, TN, and Dr. Junior Duliepre at FHM's Blanchard Clinic.
Summer 2009 Duke Engage students worked on cervical cancer prevention education, producing a pamphlet and video in Kreyol. Read more about their projects.
FHM's cervical cancer prevention project is directed by FHM's research coordinator, Jackie Ndirangu. FHM's Dr. Junior Duliepre oversees the project at the Blanchard Clinic, working with nurse Guerda and assistant Tata.
THE CERVISCOPE'S DEVELOPMENT BY FHM
Link to a two-page overview of the development process.
LIST OF PRACTITIONERS USING THE CERVISCOPE
- Kim Scheel, nurse practitioner of Serving in Mission, Ethiopia (August 2008)
- Kistina McCain, MD, of Health Talents International, Guatemala (August 2008)
- Junior Duliepre, MD FHM's Blanchard Clinic in Port-au-Prince Haiti (Summer 2009)
- Tarek Meguid, MD, Deputy head of Ob/Gyn, Bwaila Hospital and Kamuzu Central Hospitals in Malawi (September 2009)
- Dr. Silivio Tatti, MD, chair of gynecology, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Martha Wamae, RN, Matasia Maternity Home, Nairobi, Kenya
- Farah Asghar, MD, Lady Willingdon Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
- Eileen Engle, MD, Corkran Clinic, Kisumu, Kenya
- Adeola Olaitan, MD, University College London Hospital, Nigeria
- M. Kavikrut, MD, Piramal Hameaccel Campus, Maharashtra, India
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact FHM's research coordinator, Jackie Ndirangu, with any questions. You can reach her via email at jackie.ndirangu@familyhm.org or at 919-382-5500.
SPONSOR/PURCHASE A COLPOSCOPE
To sponsor a unit for a nonprofit healthcare agency or to purchase one for your own use (at our current production cost), do the following:
Mail a check for $1000 USD to:
Family Health Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 16725
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
OR
call us with
your credit card information (Visa or MasterCard, card number, expiration date and card code from the back) at: 919-382-5500
OR
submit $1000 US with
your credit or debit card on-line through PayPal
AND send us your shipping information:
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