HPV Vaccine: A Positive Hope for the Future in the Battle Against Cervical Cancer

Recalling the death of her mother in 2023, two years after her passing, was not the easiest of memory for Ann-Jell Joseph-Mapp. Her mother Veronica Joseph died from cervical cancer four years after she was diagnosed.

“Her death was not a shock because we, the children, learned about her cervical cancer diagnosed about four years before her death; but still, it was a long, hard and painful journey,” Joseph-Mapp said, while pointing out that as the eldest daughter, she became the provider and caregiver for her mother.

“My two brothers miss her a lot but they don’t speak about it much…her grandchildren miss her very much as she used to take them everywhere,” said Joseph-Mapp, who is still making adjustments to her personal life following the loss of her mother. Her mom was only 64 years when she died.

A hairdresser by profession, Joseph-Mapp said one outcome of the medical care journey after her mother’s diagnosis was the recognition that there is not enough public education about the risk factors of cervical cancer.

Read the full article on the Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network website.

About this Article

Sabin through its Immunization Advocates program supported journalists based in Bolivia, Egypt, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe interested in working on in-depth investigative reports about HPV vaccination and cervical cancer. Grantees were selected in concert with Sabin partners International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) — as part of the Global Health Reporting Initiative — and Internews. Sabin connected grantees to expertise and information about HPV and cervical cancer and continues to engage with journalists across low- and middle-income countries who are seeking to report on these topics.