St. Albert’s Mission Hospital is highly experienced in cervical screening for early detection and treatment to prevent cervical cancer. The program began in August 2013.

They hospital’s cervical cancer screening clinic and outreach program uses visual inspection with acetic acid and camera (VIAC) for the early detection of precancerous changes on the cervix.

A woman who is screened and found to be VIAC negative shows no sign of precancerous changes.

If a woman is VIAC positive, it means there are abnormal cells on the cervix that might become cancerous. Treatment involves eliminating these cells, thereby preventing the cancer.

A finding of possible cancer means that cervical cancer might be present, but the finding must be confirmed by removing a small sample of the abnormal tissue – a biopsy – and sending it to a laboratory that will determine if cancerous cells are present. Women with confirmed cancer are often referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare for treatment.

VIAC screening results August 2013 to
31 December 2021