I especially want to thank the William H. Gates Foundation and, in particular, its director, Bill Gates Sr., for once again recognizing a unique opportunity to take a leadership role in an important public health initiative that will benefit families the world over. Cervical cancer kills more than 200,000 women annually worldwide and disproportionately affects the poorest, most vulnerable women in many parts of the world. Early identification and treatment of precancerous conditions can prevent cervical cancer, which generally strikes women in midlife when they have completed their child-bearing and are playing an increasingly important economic and social role in their families and communities. The initial study supporting this idea was conducted among African women in Zimbabwe and published in the March 13 issue of the British journal The Lancet . This research showed that nurse-midwives who wiped a patient's cervix with ordinary vinegar and then visually inspected the area accurately detected more than 75 percent of potential cancers among the study participants.
Tissue harboring precancerous lesions turns white when exposed to vinegar.
The test identified almost twice as many cases of disease as did Pap smears. Only about 5 percent of women in developing countries are routinely screened for cervical cancer compared to nearly 70 percent in industrialized nations.