Saving Children in Kenya from Unnecessary Pediatric Cancer Deaths
Saving Children in Kenya from Unnecessary Pediatric Cancer Deaths
Malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV get much attention from international aid organizations, while in many places, we miss opportunities to save children from dying of diseases, like pediatric cancer. In the U.S., 80% of children survive cancer scares. In Kenya, only around 19% of children survive cancer. Chite Asirwa is an oncologist who has greatly expanded cancer treatment in Western Kenya. He‘s collaborates with Chicago-based Children’s Place International to address Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Burkitt’s Lymphoma in the region. Burkitt’s Lymphoma is a particularly virulent, but treatable form of pediatric cancer. Asirwa will tell us about plans to save more children in Kenya and Tanzania from pediatric cancer. Joining him is James McAuley, a Children’s Place International board member and pediatrician. He is a former Centers for Disease Control (CDC) country director for Zambia.