Cervical Cancer Prevention: Samira pushes for pragmatic strategies

Second Lady, Samira Bawumia, has entreated health personnel, traditional and opinion leaders to create room for more education in their communities on cervical cancer for total elimination.
According to her, cervical cancer is the 2nd most frequent occurring cancer in women after breast cancer and the most common cause of cancer related deaths in women in developing countries.
Samira Bawumia made the disclosure at the National Cervical Cancer Forum, on the theme: ’Cervical Cancer Prevention, a Call to Action.
Speaking at this year’s National Cervical Cancer Forum, Samira Bawumia encouraged women to always get screened at early detection to enable prevention of the virus from spreading.
“The annual number of cervical cancer deaths in Ghana is around 2,119, and as it stands, there are many women at risk. This calls for an upscale in national cancer response, if we are to attain Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Samira Bawumia noted.
She urged the government of Ghana to ensure sustainable programs are put in place to promote the vaccination of girls and women against cervical cancer.
“Though studies have shown that early screening for cervical cancer is key in saving lives, there are many women, specifically from rural, and lower-socioeconomic populations who is being left behind,” she stated.
She again called on Ghanaian men to encourage their partners to go for regular cervical cancer screening at designated health facilities.
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that affects the cervix or the lower part of the womb that is connected to the vagina.
Research indicates that cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths in women living in the developing countries.
The cause
Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human Papilloma virus (HPV) .It is usually found around the genital area of both men and women who are infected.
Some of the risk factors include: early sexual exposure, multiple sexual partners, being with a partner who has multiple sexual partners, too many frequent births, smoking, and many among others.
Globally, about that 570,000 new cases were reported in 2018 and 311,000 died from the disease. Current estimates in Ghana indicate that every year 3151 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 2,119 died from the disease.
Deputy Health Minister Alexander Kodwo Kom Abban, speaking at the forum, said the call to action on eliminating cervical cancer is very necessary and now.
 
Ghana | Atinkaonline | Queenel Delali Kukey