Bush announces cervical cancer initiative

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GABORONE, Botswana, July 7 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, announced a $3 million initiative in Botswana to promote cervical cancer detection.

The announcement on the initiative, which expands an existing program designed to fight cervical and breast cancer, came as the Bushes completed a weeklong tour of Africa, Voice of America reported.

Cervical cancer is the second-most-common cancer in Botswana and the leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the country, experts say.

Also on their Africa trip, the Bushes spent much of their week in Kabwe, Zambia, where they helped renovate a clinic to diagnose and treat women with cervical cancer.

While president, Bush began an initiative that initially funded $15 billion worth of anti-retroviral drugs and treatment to extend the lives of millions of Africans with HIV and AIDS.

VOA said Bush's humanitarian work after his presidency has received widespread praise in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 23 million people have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.