HEALTH: Mrs. Aregbesola Tasks Women On Poor Attitude To Tackling Cancer

Staff October 29, 2013

Wife of the State of Osun Governor, Mrs. Sherifat Aregbesola, has said that the poor attitude of women to screening was responsible for the high rate of cancer amongst them.
Speaking in Osogbo at a seminar to sensitise women on the need to carry out self- examination and the screening for breast cancer detection, Aregbesola said that cancer vaccines should be made available in hospitals and health centres to assist in the prevention of the disease.
She added that cancer could be cured when detected early, noting that most cancer patients die of the disease because their cases were detected very late.
She advocated for a free distribution of routine human papilloma virus vaccine for boys and girls at ages 11 and 12 to prevent cancer in later years.
“Though largely preventable, cervical cancer kills more women in developing countries than any other cancer in any other parts of the world.
“Cervical cancer is highly preventable, because screening tests for cervical cancer and vaccines to prevent the human papilloma virus, which is the main cause of cervical cancer, are available. HPV vaccines offer the greatest benefits to persons who receive all three doses before sexual exposure to HPV through sexual activity,” she said.
In her address, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Temitope Ilori, explained that women who were screened and detected early of breast cancer had 90 per cent survival rate, adding that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among African women.
She said, “Five hundred thousand new cases of cancer of the cervix occur every year in the world, but over 250,000 of these result in deaths. We should also note that majority of the cases occur in developing countries.”
THE NATION