MWE Correspondent
A recent study in northern Tanzania has revealed a worrying health gap: less than five percent of female sex workers have ever undergone cervical cancer screening, despite being among the most vulnerable populations.
The research, conducted in the Kilimanjaro Region, surveyed 351 women aged 25 to 49 and found that only 4.8 percent had ever been tested.
Published last month in BMJ Public Health, the study is the first in Tanzania to examine the screening habits of female sex workers specifically. Researchers spent three months following participants across bars, brothels, urban alleys, and rural roadsides, building trust to collect accurate data on health behaviors.
Despite 89 percent of the women knowing that screening services exist, uptake remained extremely low. The research points to several barriers, including stigma, limited healthcare access, and weak communication about services. “Awareness is high, but action is minimal,” said one of the authors, Gumbo Silas. “This shows that knowledge alone is not enough to encourage life-saving preventive care.”
The study also used the Health Belief Model to explore why women do or do not access screening. Findings revealed that women were more likely to get screened if they perceived themselves at risk, understood the benefits of screening, and received support or reminders from trusted peers or health workers.
Many screening services in Tanzania are integrated into maternal and child health programs, making them less accessible to sex workers.
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Night shifts, frequent travel, and fear of discrimination at clinics further prevent women from seeking care. Researchers call for targeted interventions that are flexible, non-stigmatizing, and tailored to reach these high-risk groups.
Public health experts warn that without focused strategies, Tanzania risks leaving vulnerable populations behind in its fight against cervical cancer, a disease that remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in Africa.
The study underscores a critical lesson for healthcare systems: bridging the gap between awareness and action is essential. Ensuring accessible, stigma-free, and culturally sensitive screening services for high-risk women could prevent thousands of avoidable deaths and strengthen national health outcomes.
