Fact Check: Zimbabwe has large cervical cancer cases, but not the highest

CLAIM: One of Zimbabwe’s mainstream newspapers reported that the country was heavily affected by Cervical Cancer to a point where it now “has the highest burden of the disease in Africa and the world”.

Is this true or false?

Verdict: Misleading

Although Zimbabwe ranks high among countries with the highest incidence of cervical cancer, it is misleading to rank it as having the highest burden of the disease, according to the latest available data.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Zimbabwe is among the top five countries with high incidence of cervical cancer, with 61 of every 100 000 women being diagnosed annually.

In addition, statistics from the World Cancer Research Fund International show that in 2020, Zimbabwe was ranked fourth in terms of cervical cancer mortality globally.