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Dr Charity Binka, the Executive Secretary, Africa Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), has called for intensified education on cervical cancer to prevent needless deaths among women.
She said cervical cancer took a long time to spread yet due to ignorance and irregular medical screening, some women were losing their lives needlessly to the disease. Dr Binka made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as part of January Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Accra.
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when cells in the cervix grow abnormally and form a tumor. It is caused by a persistent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted sexually. According to the Ghana Health Service, it is estimated that 2,797 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 1,699 die of the disease every year. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women in Ghana, even though it is preventable with early detection and treatment.
Women who are at risk of contracting cervical cancer include women who started sexual activities at a younger age, especially before age 18, having multiple sexual partners, and those affected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) due to their suppressed immune system. Having a family history of cancer and engaging in smoking could also serve as a risk factor for getting cervical cancer.
The disease in its advanced stage could see patients experience painful sexual intercourse, vaginal bleeding after intercourse or menopause, foul-smelling watery or bloody vaginal discharge, and heavier menstrual flow that might last longer than usual. Dr Binka stated that it was unfortunate that some women, to date, did not have any idea about cervical cancer and its causes, among others.
This is why women are not reporting to health facilities for screening and not taking their medications even when diagnosed until their condition worsened was a big challenge to addressing cervical cancer, she added. “You talk to some people about the disease, and they tell you it’s caused by wearing dirty panties or dirty underwear. You can see that there’s a lot of ignorance about the disease. And I think that we need to intensify education.
“Education, education because sometimes I believe that ignorance is worse than the disease including Breast cancer and prostate cancer for men,” she added. Dr Binka advised women to visit the hospital, especially when they see something unusual happening around their organs, for proper diagnosis and treatment rather than resorting to self-medication.
This is crucial to reduce the disease burden and the cost of healthcare in the country, she said. Meanwhile, Korle-Bu Polyclinic is offering subsidized cervical cancer screening with the Pap smear test to the first 100 women for Ghc100 on January 30, 2025, at the Family Medicine Department between 08:00 to 1400 hours.
Source: GNA
