The Ambassadorship follows the bestowment of a special posthumous award to Henrietta Lacks from the WHO director-general, given to her family on her behalf in 2021
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced the appointment of Henrietta Lacks family as WHO Goodwill Ambassadors for Cervical Cancer Elimination.
Ghebreyesus made the announcement at the ongoing World Health Summit in Berlin, hosted by the presidents of Germany, France and Senegal, alongside WHO director-general.
WHO chief, in a statement said, the appointment was in a recognition of their efforts to champion cervical cancer prevention and to preserve the memory of Henrietta Lacks, who died from cervical cancer in 1951.
Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman, died in 1951 from the disease, but left behind an extraordinary legacy through the unique properties of her cancer cells, which became the first “immortal” cell line, able to replicate outside the human body, providing countless medical breakthroughs since then.
The so-called HeLa cells were taken from her without her knowledge or consent: “Much like the injustice of Henrietta Lacks’ story, women all over the world from racial and minority ethnic groups, face disproportionately higher risks from cervical cancer,” Ghebreyesus said.
“WHO’s goal is to eliminate cervical cancer, which means the innovations created”, with her cells, “must be made available equitably to all women and girls.
“We look forward to working with the Lacks family to raise awareness on cervical cancer and advance racial equity in health and science.”
Ghebreyesus, however, welcomed the family of Henrietta Lacks for a special dialogue at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The family, represented by Henrietta Lacks’ son Lawrence Lacks, Sr., and his granddaughters, Victoria Baptiste and Veronica Robinson; and Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr., Henrietta Lacks’ grandson, accepted the appointment at the World Health Summit in Berlin, during a session titled, “A Next Era for Women’s Cancer Control.”
On behalf of the Lacks family, Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr. said, “Today, I humbly accept this honour to serve as a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Cervical Cancer Elimination in the spirit of my mother – Deborah Lacks, who lost her mother, Henrietta, to Cervical Cancer, and worked to make certain the world recognises her impact.
“Our Hennie’s legacy lives on in us, and we will continue to stand in solidarity with WHO, patients, survivors, and families around the world to ensure that no other wife, mother, or sister dies needlessly from cervical cancer.”
The appointment of the Lacks family as WHO Goodwill Ambassadors for Cervical Cancer Elimination adds momentum to the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer, launched by WHO in 2020.
The global effort represents the first time ever that WHO Member States have collectively committed to eliminate a cancer.
The strategy lists three goals that countries should reach by the year 2030: First, 90 per cent of eligible girls should be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.
Second, 70 per cent of women should be screened using a high-performance test.
And third, 90 per cent of women with pre-cancer should have access to treatment and 90 per cent of women with invasive cancer should be managed appropriately, including access to palliative care.
Currently, a woman dies of cervical cancer every two minutes. Nearly 90 per cent of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries due to inadequate access to cancer prevention, diagnosis and care.
In all geographies, women in marginalised communities are disproportionately affected.
The Lacks family joins other ambassadors from WHO, including Ivorian footballer Didier Drogba, Brazilian world champion footballer Alisson Becker, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term Mayor of the City of New York, Cynthia Germanotta, President of the Born This Way Foundation, and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The Ambassadorship follows the bestowment of a special posthumous award to Henrietta Lacks from the WHO director-general, given to her family on her behalf in 2021.
It reflects WHO’s ongoing commitment to the active participation of people affected by cervical cancer as central to the elimination effort.
As a young mother, Henrietta Lacks and her husband were raising five children near Baltimore when she fell ill.
She went to Johns Hopkins after experiencing extensive vaginal bleeding and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Despite treatment, it cut her life short on October 4, 1951. She was only 31 years old.
During treatment, researchers took samples of her tumour. That “HeLa” cell line became a scientific breakthrough: the first immortal line of human cells to divide indefinitely in a laboratory.
The cells were mass produced, for profit, without recognition to her family. Over 50 million metric tonnes of HeLa cells have been distributed around the world.
In addition to the HPV vaccine, HeLa cells allowed for development of the polio vaccine; drugs for HIV, haemophilia, leukaemia, and Parkinson’s disease; breakthroughs in reproductive health, including in vitro fertilization; research on chromosomal conditions, cancer, gene mapping, and precision medicine; and are used in studies responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.”